- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Feb 12, 2021
- Event Description
On February 12, Jammu and Kashmir police opened an investigation into Gul, a freelance journalist who contributes to The Kashmirwalla, for allegedly taking part in an illegal demonstration against home demolitions, according to Gul, who spoke to CPJ via phone, and news reports.
The investigation into Gul stems from an article he published on February 9, in which residents of Hajin, a town in Bandipora district, in north Kashmir, alleged that local government official Ghulam Mohammad Bhat had threatened them and forcefully demolished their homes, Gul told CPJ.
Gul said he believed the local authorities filed the complaint opening the investigation on Bhat’s instruction. In a text message to CPJ, Bhat denied having any role in filing the complaint.
The complaint alleges that Gul took part in an illegal demonstration opposing the demolitions on February 10, where he allegedly threw stones and shouted slogans, according to the journalist.
Police are investigating Gul for violating Sections 147 (rioting), 447 (criminal trespass), and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code, according to the journalist and The Kashmirwalla.
Gul denied partaking in such a demonstration, and told CPJ that he was in Srinagar, about 40 miles from Bandipora, on February 10.
Gul also told CPJ that the police had not given him a copy of the complaint, and have merely mentioned the counts on which he is being investigated. If charged and convicted, Gul could face up to two years of imprisonment under Indian law.
CPJ contacted Amritpal Singh, senior superintendent of police for Shopian, Colonel K. Arun of the army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information, and Sajad Malik, police deputy superintendent of Hajin, for comment via messaging app, but did not receive any responses.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Mar 2, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Feb 23, 2021
- Event Description
A court in Hong Kong on Tuesday denied an application for bail from jailed democracy activists Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam pending their appeal against their sentence on charges related to "illegal assembly" during a mass siege of police headquarters on June 21, 2019.
Chow, who looked thinner and paler than in previous court appearances, wiped away tears in court as High Court judge Andrew Chan said he would be referring the case to the Court of Appeal, effectively denying the application for bail.
Some supporters shouted out encouragement to Chow, while Lam made the five-finger gesture of the 2019 pro-democracy movement representing five demands made by protesters, including fully democratic elections, an amnesty for jailed protesters, and accountability for police violence.
The hearing was also attended by outspoken Cardinal Joseph Zen. Police officers cordoned off the area around the court entrance with traffic barriers, and journalists weren't allowed to get close enough to take photos.
Lawyers for Lam and Chow later said the pair will both serve out their sentences, with Lam due to be released in April and Chow in June.
Chow, 24, was sentenced to seven months' imprisonment in Dec. 2 after pleading guilty to charges relating to "illegal assembly."
She was taken after sentencing to the medium-security Lo Wu Correctional Institution near the border with mainland China, but was later transferred to the Tai Lam Women's Correctional Institution, a Category A facility.
Category A prisoners, of whom there are only a few hundred in a city of seven million, are often people who have been convicted of murder or drug trafficking.
Fellow activist and former 2014 student leader Joshua Wong, who co-founded the now-disbanded political party Demosisto with Chow, is also believed to have been placed in Category A.
Fellow activists Joshua Wong, 24, and Lam, 26, were jailed for 13-and-a-half-months and seven months respectively by the West Kowloon District Court on Dec. 2, 2020.
All three defendants pleaded guilty to charges of "inciting others to take part in an illegal assembly" and "taking part in an illegal assembly," and their sentences were reduced in recognition of the guilty plea.
Oaths of allegiance
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong authorities are gearing up to require sitting members of the District Council to take an oath of allegiance to Hong Kong.
Secretary for mainland and constitutional affairs Eric Tsang said politicians whose oaths were deemed "insincere" would be stripped of their seats on the council.
Pro-democracy candidates swept to a landslide victory in the last District Council elections in November 2019, which came after several months of mass protest over Hong Kong's vanishing freedoms.
"The law will fulfill the constitutional responsibility of the government," Tsang said.
"You cannot say that you are patriotic but you do not love the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party or you do not respect it - this does not make sense," Tsang added. "Patriotism is holistic love."
The move came a day after a top ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official in charge of Hong Kong said that only patriots should be allowed to hold public office.
Under the draft legislation, any district councilor who fails the loyalty test will be sent to court for formal disqualification, and banned from taking part in elections for five years.
Mass disqualifications
Political commentators have warned that the authorities are gearing up for the mass disqualification of opposition politicians from the council, who currently hold nearly 90 percent of seats.
Tsang said four district councilors -- Lester Shum, Tiffany Yuen, Fergus Leung, and Tat Cheng -- have already been earmarked for disqualification.
“The returning officers at the time have already concluded that the four do not genuinely uphold the Basic Law. So theoretically speaking, they won’t be qualified to stay on as district councillors," Tsang told reporters in comments reported by government broadcaster RTHK.
A recent poll by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (PORI) found that several different measures of freedom in Hong Kong were at their lowest level since the handover.
Academic freedom, freedom of association, and freedom of movement all dropped to their lowest ebb in a survey carried out in early February 2021, while press freedom and freedom of speech also returned low scores.
HKPORI deputy chief executive Chung Kim-wah said the freedom of movement figure reflects people's concerns over growing entry and exit controls at Hong Kong's borders, particularly after China said it would no longer recognize the British National Overseas (BNO) passport.
"First they were talking about countermeasures and non-recognition, and then we had the announcement that the BNO wouldn't be accepted as a travel document any more," Chung told RFA. "There were also rumors that there would be restrictions on people trying to leave."
"Our survey conducted at the beginning of this month reflects people's feelings on the BNO [issue]," he said.
Following the imposition of the national security law in Hong Kong, the U.K. launched an immigration scheme for BNO passport-holders that offers a potential pathway to work, study, and eventual citizenship to around five million of Hong Kong's seven million residents, drawing Beijing's ire.
Crackdown on dissent, opposition
The CCP imposed the draconian National Security Law for Hong Kong on the city from July 1, 2020, ushering in a crackdown on peaceful dissent and political opposition.
The law was described as "one of the greatest threats to human rights and the rule of law in Hong Kong since the 1997 handover" by legal experts at Georgetown University's Asian Law Center.
The report found that the authorities "have made vigorous use of the [law] over the past seven months, with over 100 arrests by the newly-created national security department in the Hong Kong police force."
"The vast majority of initial ... arrests would not be considered national security cases in other liberal constitutional jurisdictions," the report said.
It said there are "serious concerns" that the law is being used to suppress the basic political rights of Hong Kong residents.
"Prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights to free expression, association, or assembly ... violate Hong Kong and Beijing’s commitments under international human rights law," it said.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to fair trial
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 27, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Feb 18, 2021
- Event Description
Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong have hauled in a rights activist for questioning after he started a signature campaign in support of mass popular protests against the military coup in Myanmar.
State security police in Guangdong's Huizhou city summoned activist Xiao Yuhui for repeated interrogations starting Feb. 18 and continuing into this week, RFA has learned.
The summons came after Xiao posted to a number of groups on the social media app WeChat condemning the Myanmar military coup.
"Xiao Yuhui was summoned to the police station ... he was there about half an hour [that time]," a person familiar with the matter who declined to be named told RFA.
"He's back home now, but the state security police have him in their sights, and they call him in at random," the person said.
Xiao, who was interrogated by police from the Luoxi district police station in Guangzhou, Hengli district police station in Dongguan, and Huizhou municipal police department, is now being pressured to remain in or near his home.
While in Huizhou city, some 30 kilometers away from his home in Hengli district, on Monday night, Xiao received repeated phone calls from officers at his local Yuantongqiao police station asking him to report to them.
Xiao made the trip home, eventually arriving in the early hours of Tuesday, where he was forced to write the guarantee before being released.
Dissident Wang Aizhong, who is based in Guangdong's provincial capital, Guangzhou, said she had heard similar news of Xiao.
"It was about supporting the people of Myanmar [against the coup]," Wang said. "I didn't see it personally."
Targeted before
She said Xiao has been targeted by state security police before.
"He was detained and held under criminal detention for several months at one point, so he's no stranger to being asked to 'drink tea'," she said, in a slang reference to being summoned by state security police.
Xiao, who was called back in by police on Tuesday morning, declined to comment when contacted by RFA following his release.
"Sorry, it's not convenient right now," he said, using a phrase often used by activists to indicate pressure from the authorities.
Rights activists said a number of WeChat users across China, including Qingyuan, Shenzhen, Jieyang, and other Guangdong cities, have been treated similarly since Feb. 18, for adding their names to Xiao's signature campaign.
A friend of Xiao's who asked to remain anonymous said the authorities had responded very quickly to Xiao's posts.
"He posted to the group calling for solidarity with Myanmar and the protests against the military coup," the friend said. "He got the call [from police] ... within hours [of posting]."
Xiao's earlier detention was linked to his online support for the Hong Kong protest movement.
He was detained by Guangdong police alongside an unnamed woman after he retweeted a WeChat on May 27, 2020 referring to an online letter-writing campaign by Hong Kong's pro-democracy newspaper the Apple Daily, in opposition to the national security law.
The draconian law was imposed on the city on July 1, 2020, and outlaws sedition, subversion, foreign interference, and activities supporting independence for Hong Kong.
It is currently being enforced by a newly established state security branch of the Hong Kong police, alongside a branch of China's feared state security police.
The woman was subsequently released on bail pending trial, but Xiao was held under criminal detention at the Huicheng district police station in Huizhou.
A veteran activist, Xiao has also previously helped vulnerable groups to defend their rights, as well as families targeted by family planning officials under the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s "one-child" policy.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Related Events
- China: pro-democracy defender arrested for joining an online petition demanding democracy in Hong Kong
- Date added
- Feb 27, 2021
- Country
- Viet Nam
- Initial Date
- Feb 10, 2021
- Event Description
Two journalists employed by official media are being held by police in central Vietnam’s Quang Tri province on charges of “abusing press freedoms” for posting articles online criticizing provincial leaders, state media and other sources say.
Phan Bui Bao Thy, 56 and bureau chief of the online magazine Age and Education, and an associate, Le Anh Dung, 50, were taken into custody on Feb. 10 after articles appeared on Facebook pages the two men operated accusing provincial officials of corruption, police said.
One article posted in August on Thy’s Facebook page accused Le Quang Than—deputy chairman of Quang Tri’s Huong Hoa district, and a member of the Huong Hoa Communist Party Committee—of falsifying his educational credentials.
State media did not report the contents of the pair’s other allegedly defamatory online postings. Online access to Age and Education is now blocked.
Press freedoms group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) noted on Feb. 16 that on one site, Quang Tri 357, Thy had posted reports of alleged corruption involving the province’s president, Vo Van Hung, and deputy minister of culture, tourism and sports, Nguyen Van Hung.
Thy will now be held for questioning for the next two months, RSF said, adding, “The police, who carried out searches of his home, claim to have found a great deal of information related to this activities as an online reporter.”
In a statement, Daniel Bastard—head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk—called for Thy’s immediate release, saying “he was just trying to serve the general interest in his work as a journalist.”
“His fate highlights the straitjacket enclosing public media journalists in Vietnam, who are persecuted as soon as they stray from the official line imposed by the ruling Communist Party’s propaganda department.”
“In so doing, the Vietnamese authorities violate article 25 of their own constitution,” Bastard said.
Thy’s arrest came five weeks after the sentencing by a Ho Chi Minh City court of three independent journalists—Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, and Le Huu Minh Tuan—on charges of carrying out propaganda against the state.
Other journalists jailed
Nguyen Tuong Thuy, who had blogged on civil rights and freedom of speech issues for RFA’s Vietnamese Service for six years, was sentenced on Jan. to an 11-year prison term for “making, storing, and disseminating documents and materials for anti-state purposes” under Article 117 of Vietnam’s Penal Code.
Sentenced with Thuy, Pam Chi Dung was given a 15-year prison term, while Le Huu Minh Tuan was jailed for 11 years.
Reporters Without Borders ranked Vietnam 175 out of 180 in its 2020 World Press Freedom Index. Around 25 journalists and bloggers are being held in Vietnam’s jails, “where mistreatment is common,” the Paris-based watchdog group said.
Vietnam’s already low tolerance of dissent deteriorated sharply last year with a spate of arrests of independent journalists, publishers, and Facebook personalities as authorities continued to stifle critics in the run-up to the ruling Communist Party Congress in January.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 27, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Feb 21, 2021
- Event Description
Barkha Dutt, who often reports for the Washington Post and runs a YouTube local news channel called MoJo Story, told RSF that she regards the accusation brought against her, in the form of a police “First Information Report” (FIR) on 21 February, as a “harassment attempt” and “pure intimidation.”
The accusation concerns Dutt’s coverage of the death of two teenage girls who are Dalits (members of the Indian group formerly known as “untouchables”). They were found poisoned in a field in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district after going missing on 17 February.
The FIR names Dutt’s Twitter account, @themojostory, along with seven other Twitter accounts, including those of several politicians who claimed the girls were sexually assaulted. The MoJo Story report never claimed this, but the FIR says it did. Dutt’s request for a copy of the FIR has been refused by the police, thereby preventing her from legally disputing the accusation.
Lumped together “The police are deliberately lumping together unverified comments by politicians with the MoJo Story’s rigorous journalistic reporting,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk. “This is clearly a case of judicial harassment aimed at silencing any independent investigative coverage of this case. We urge the Uttar Pradesh prosecutor’s office to immediately dismiss this accusation, which is not based on any credible evidence, and furthermore violates the criminal procedure code by denying Barkha Dutt access to the case.”
According to the police, Dutt is accused under criminal code article 153 of “wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot,” which is punishable by up to a year in prison. The police were almost certainly annoyed that her reporting included interviews with members of the family of the two murdered girls, who said the police pressured them to quickly cremate their bodies.
This is a highly sensitive claim coming just five months after the alleged gang-rape and subsequent death of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in Hathras, another Uttar Pradesh district, in September – a case that received a great deal attention throughout India, as RSF reported at the time.
Blocked access After the young woman died of her injuries in hospital, the police quickly cremated her body the next day, fuelling speculation that they wanted to destroy evidence. The police then blocked access to the district to prevent reporters from interviewing the family.
As she reported in a tweet at the time, Dutt tried to circumvent the police roadblock by walking several kilometres across fields but the police caught her, put her in a police van, and deposited her back on the road, outside the sealed-off area.
India is ranked 142nd out of 180 countries in RSF's 2020 World Press Freedom Index.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 25, 2021
- Country
- Pakistan
- Initial Date
- Feb 22, 2021
- Event Description
In a brazen daylight attack, masked terrorists shot dead four women vocational trainers and injured their driver near Mirali in North Waziristan tribal district on Monday.
Police said a vehicle carrying five women was driving through a village near Mirali when the gunmen opened fire on it, killing four of them on the spot.
The slain trainers were identified as Naheed Bibi, Irshad Bibi, Ayesha Bibi and Javeria Bibi. They belonged to the nearby Bannu district. The driver of the vehicle, Abdul Khaliq, suffered bullet injuries in the attack. He is under treatment at a local hospital.
District Police Officer Shafiullah Gandapur issued a press release after the killing of the four women trainers, stating that the four were targeted and killed by terrorists in Eppi village near Mirali.
The police statement said that the driver suffered injuries in the attack while one woman trainer, Mariam Bibi, survived as she took shelter in the village. Bodies of the four women were taken to the tehsil headquarters hospital in Mirali town.
Earlier, police had said that the women were working for an NGO to give vocational training to local women in Eppi village.
Later, the DPO changed his statement and said that the women were working for a technical institute based in Bannu to develop vocational skills of the local women. He said that the NGO had signed a memorandum of understanding with the institute to give vocational training to women of the area.
The NGOs office in Peshawar said that the women killed in the attack were not affiliated with the organisation. An official of the NGO told Dawn that the four women were attached to a technical college in Bannu.
He said that the women trainers had proceeded from Bannu to Eppi village to give vocational training to the local women. He said that his organisation had been working on a project for skill development of the womenfolk of the area.
In September last year, some unidentified gunmen had killed a lady health worker in Khaisur area near Mirali. Mirali was the bastion of local and foreign insurgents before operation Zarb-i-Azb was launched in June 2014.
A police official said that on Sunday night gunmen opened fire on a vehicle in Shewa area near Mirali and killed its driver named Wali Gul. The gunmen also kidnapped 10 people including six non-locals.
Unicef condemns attack
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund has expressed shock over the killing of the four women.
“UNICEF condemns in the strongest possible terms this senseless attack on women and aid workers and joins the families in mourning this tragic loss of lives. The perpetrators must be brought to justice,” said Unicef Representative in Pakistan, Aida Girma.
“Unicef is saddened and shocked at the reported killing of four women who were reportedly staff members of Bravo College, Bannu, and they were travelling to North Waziristan, one of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s merged districts, earlier on Monday. Their driver was reportedly injured in the attack after unidentified assailants fired on their vehicle,” Unicef said in a statement issued in Islamabad.
- Impact of Event
- 5
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Death, Killing, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to life
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, WHRD
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Extremist group
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 23, 2021
- Country
- Myanmar
- Initial Date
- Feb 13, 2021
- Event Description
Seven well-known activists, including Min Ko Naing and other leaders of the four-eights pro-democracy uprising of 1988, have been charged with inciting unrest against the state.
In a statement released late Saturday, Myanmar’s newly installed military junta said that it had issued arrest warrants for the wanted activists and urged members of the public to report them to the authorities.
According to the statement, former 88 generation student leaders Min Ko Naing and Jimmy, singer Lin Lin, writer Insein Aung Soe, think tank director Myo Yan Naung Thein, and social media influencers Maung Maung Aye and Ei Pan Sel Lo have all been charged with incitement against the state under section 505b of the penal code.
The statement accused them of “using their popularity to incite the people with their writing and speeches through social media and social networks to destroy the state’s law and order.”
Aung Myo Min, the director of the rights group Equality Myanmar, said that the statement shows the regime’s total disregard for freedom of expression.
“We cannot accept this way of denying all expressions of dissent,” he said, noting that the accused had all spoken out against last week’s coup.
The military arrested State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other leading members of the civilian government in predawn raids on February 1, just hours before parliament was set to convene for the first time since last year’s election.
Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, won the November 8 election in a landslide, but the military alleged that it had found widespread voting irregularities.
In the weeks before the coup, it accused the government and the Union Election Commission of failing to resolve these issues.
The military takeover has sparked mass protests and a civil disobedience movement by public service workers. In recent days, the regime has carried out a series of late-night raids targeting resistance leaders.
Poet Maung Saung Kha, the executive director of the Yangon-based free-speech advocacy group Athan, condemned the military’s statement and warned that worse was yet to come.
“The military coup-makers will use all means available to them to arrest and imprison anyone who tries to oppose them. There is no chance to enjoy human rights under a military dictatorship. I think worse rights violations will come,” he said.
According to figures compiled by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, 326 people were arrested in the first 12 days of the coup, including 23 who have since been released.
- Impact of Event
- 7
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Artist, Blogger/ Social Media Activist, Pro-democracy activist, Student
- Perpetrator-State
- Armed forces/ Military
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Feb 23, 2021
- Country
- Myanmar
- Initial Date
- Feb 9, 2021
- Event Description
A 22-year-old Chin student activist is among five young people who were arrested on Tuesday night for taking part in a protest in Rakhine against last week’s coup.
Police came to Mai Yadanar Aung’s home in Ann township at 9.30pm and took her away without a warrant, according to the woman’s mother, Tin Tin Aung.
“They came and asked her to come along with them to the police station. But since she didn’t do anything wrong, I asked them why she had to. Then they said she was involved in the protest,” Tin Tin Aung said.
“I couldn't sleep the whole night. At first I considered not letting them take my daughter, but I was concerned she would be arrested forcibly, so I let them take her thinking they might release her on bail,” she added.
Police were due to bring her to the township court on Wednesday to be remanded in custody. Family members went to the police station on Wednesday morning to try to see her but police wouldn’t let them inside, citing Covid-19 regulations.
Ann township is where the Myanmar military’s Western Command is located.
Four other young people were being detained at the station for protesting, Tin TIn Aung said. Myanmar Now was unable to verify their names.
Mai Yadanar Aung is a third year student studying Chemistry at Sittwe University and secretary of a group called Chin University Students in Rakhine State (CUSR).
Young people and students began protests against the new military dictatorship in Ann township yesterday for the first time, said Mai Khaing Zin May Than, CUSR’s chair. The arrests began within hours.
“They are finding and arresting the protesters. Some of my sisterhood friends are still hiding,” she said.
Because of the arrest, parents in town told their children not to join the protests on Wednesday, Mai Khaing Zin May Than said.
“This is a human rights violation,” she added. “In Ann, not all the people are involved in the protests. The participants are mostly Chin ethnic girls.”
About a thousand mostly young people joined Tuesday’s protest in Ann, Tin Tin Aung said.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to liberty and security, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Student, WHRD, Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Feb 16, 2021
- Country
- Myanmar
- Initial Date
- Feb 12, 2021
- Event Description
Today was the 74th Union Day as well as day 12 of the military coup. Protests against the coup continued to escalate across the country including in ethnic areas amid rising arrests along with violent crackdowns on demonstrations by the junta government.
Today across Burma videos have been circulating on social media and news agency’s which show arbitrary detentions and the use of force against peaceful protestors. The detentions defy domestic law and international standards. The rule of law is not being followed and the human rights of people in Burma is being suppressed.
In Mawlamyine, Mon State, While peacefully demonstrating at the Student Union in Mawlamyine Township on 12 February, riot police force cracked-down on the demonstration by firing rubber bullets. 5 students were injured and 9 students were abducted. There is a video of the police force charging at a protest, disproportionate to the actions of these demonstrators, they then violently detained one demonstrator in the clip. In another video in Mawlamyine, police are seen interrogating a demonstrator before abruptly taking them away.
Family members are left with no knowledge of the charges, location, or condition of their loved ones. These are not isolated incidents and night-time raids are targeting dissenting voices. It is happening across the country.
These actions are also against domestic law, if someone breaks Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, they must be arrested under Section 188 of the Penal Code. For allegedly breaking Section 188 they must be accused at the court, not arbitrarily taken away to undisclosed locations from the street and from in their homes. It is also not the authority of the police, the courts decided whether to detain, charge, and take away an individual’s liberty.
- Impact of Event
- 16
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Abduction/Kidnapping, Judicial Harassment, Use of Excessive Force, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Student
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Feb 16, 2021
- Country
- Myanmar
- Initial Date
- Feb 14, 2021
- Event Description
MYANMAR'S security forces fired to disperse protesters outside a power plant in the northern state of Kachin, footage broadcasted live on Facebook showed, although it was not clear if they were using rubber bullets or live fire.
Hundreds had gathered late on Sunday outside a power plant that soldiers had occupied in the city of Myitkyina. As darkness fell, riot police accompanied by soldiers arrived to drive away the crowds, the footage showed.
The security forces doused the crowds with a water cannon and shots were heard.
"A few minutes ago the Tatmadaw reinforced with military tanks and now they started shooting," said one resident who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, using the Burmese term for the armed forces.
The US embassy in Myanmar had also warned of military troop movements and possible "telecommunications interruptions" in Yangon. "There are indications of military movements in Yangon and the possibility of telecommunications interruptions overnight between 1:00 am and 9:00 am" on Monday morning local time, the US embassy tweeted on its official American Citizen Services account on Sunday night.
These developments come as the military regime warned the public not to harbour fugitive political activists on Sunday after issuing arrest warrants for veteran democracy campaigners supporting massive nationwide anti-coup protests.
Security forces have stepped up arrests of doctors and others joining a civil disobedience movement that has seen huge crowds throng streets in big urban centres and isolated frontier villages alike.
Police are now hunting seven people who have lent vocal support to the protests, including some of the country's most famous democracy activists.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Use of Excessive Force, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Feb 16, 2021
- Country
- Myanmar
- Initial Date
- Feb 7, 2021
- Event Description
On February 7, demonstrations against the military coup intensified. This morning thousands of activists, students and civilians took part in protests in Rangoon and across the country, and Min Ko Naing, 88 Generation Student Leader, arrived and stood among the protesters. Demonstrations were held at Rangoon, Bago, Mandalay, Sagaing, Ayeyarwady, Tanintharyi and Magway Regions, Naypyidaw, Mon, Shan, Karen and Kachin States. Protests were peaceful and non-violent, and police blocked the roads for protestors and watched the situation, though there were no violent crackdowns.
When police fired in the air at protestors in Myawaddy Town in Karen State, rioting broke out and a total of 14 civilians (5 women and 9 men) including former female political prisoner Khin Htar were arrested. By 6:30pm, they all were released. A woman was also shot during the protest in Myawaddy. The 8pm symbolic peaceful “Drumming out of Evil” continued across the country in opposition to the military junta.
- Impact of Event
- 15
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment, Violence (physical), Wounds and Injuries
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Feb 16, 2021
- Country
- Kazakhstan
- Initial Date
- Feb 10, 2021
- Event Description
A court in Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, has sentenced a man to 10 days in jail for picketing the Chinese Consulate to demand information about his brother, who is in custody in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang.
The court on February 10 found Baibolat Kunbolatuly guilty of violating the law on mass gatherings and sent him to jail for 10 days.
A day earlier, Kunbolatuly and nine other people, mainly women, picketed the Chinese Consulate in Almaty, demanding their relatives be released from so-called reeducation camps in Xinjiang. Some of the protesters said their relatives have been prevented from leaving China for Kazakhstan to join their families, while some said their loved ones have been held incommunicado in Xinjiang for years.
Kunbolatuly's mother, Zauatkhan Tursyn, was in front of the Chinese Consulate with several other women again on February 10, the third day in a row of such protests.
"China incarcerated one of my sons, Kazakhstan jailed another. I demand from Chinese authorities to release my son Baimurat, and I demand Kazakh authorities release my son Baibolat," Tursyn chanted in front of the consulate, holding pictures of her son.
Other women were holding pictures of their relatives and had posters saying "China, Stop Genocide."
An Almaty city official and police were monitoring the protest, but did not interfere.
A consulate security officer appeared to remove a piece of electronic equipment with multiple antennas from the building as reporters covered the event live. After he emerged, the journalists said their Internet connection stopped working.
A security official denied the removal of the piece of equipment had anything to do with the Internet outage.
Many similar protests have taken place in Kazakhstan in recent years, with demonstrators demanding Kazakh authorities officially intervene in the situation faced by ethnic Kazakhs in Xinjiang.
The U.S. State Department has said as many as 2 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and members of Xinjiang's other indigenous, mostly Muslim, ethnic groups have been taken to detention centers.
China denies that the facilities are internment camps.
People who have fled the province say that thousands of ethnic Kazakhs, Uyghurs, and other Muslims in Xinjiang are undergoing "political indoctrination" at a network of facilities known officially as reeducation camps.
Kazakhs are the second-largest Turkic-speaking indigenous community in Xinjiang after Uyghurs. The region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz, Tajiks, and Hui, also known as Dungans. Han, China's largest ethnicity, is the second-largest community in Xinjiang.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to liberty and security, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Minority rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 16, 2021
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Feb 9, 2021
- Event Description
Government prosecutors are blocking the release of journalist Lady Ann Salem and labor organizer Rodrigo Esparago despite the local court’s dismissing the charges against them last Feb. 5.
The City Prosecutor Office of Mandaluyong, on behalf of the Philippine National Police, filed on Feb. 9 an opposition to the urgent motion for release filed by Salem’s lawyers from the Public Interest Law Center (PILC).
The prosecutors claimed that the decision of the Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court Branch 209 is not yet final, thus, Salem and Esparago could not yet be released.
Salem’s lawyers disagreed, saying that “the rules on criminal proceedings require that a judgment of acquittal, whether ordered by the trial or the appellate court, is final, unappealable, and immediately executory upon its promulgation.”
“The dismissal of the cases, drawn upon the quashal of the search warrant and consequential declaration that the seized evidence is inadmissible as evidence, is one tantamount to an acquittal,” PILC said in its reply.
“The Order of the Honorable Court, being an adjudication on the merits, is final and executory,” Salem’s lawyers asserted.
Salem, editor of Manila Today and communications officer of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT), and Esparago were arrested on December 10 last year. They were charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
On Feb. 5, Judge Monique Quisumbing-Ignacio dismissed the charges, noting “numerous inconsistencies and contradictions” in the sworn statements and testimonies cited in the search warrant.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to fair trial
- HRD
- Labour rights defender, Media Worker, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 16, 2021
- Country
- Singapore
- Initial Date
- Feb 15, 2021
- Event Description
Civil rights activist Jolovan Wham was fined a total of $8,000 on Monday (Feb 15) after he pleaded guilty to three charges over an illegal public assembly held on MRT trains more than three years ago.
The gathering of nine people was held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Operation Spectrum - an internal security operation in 1987 that ended with the detention of 22 activists in what the Government called a Marxist conspiracy.
During their rides on northbound and southbound trains, which went on for about two hours on June 3, 2017, the protesters put on blindfolds fashioned from trash bags and held up copies of a book about the operation.
Wham and another protester also placed sheets of paper, printed with messages protesting the detentions, on their laps.
He later uploaded photographs of the gathering in social media posts.
Wham, 41, was fined $4,500 for organising the assembly without a permit, $1,000 for vandalising a train by pasting two sheets of paper with printed messages onto a panel, and $2,500 for refusing to sign a statement he gave to the police on the case.
He told the court through his lawyers from Eugene Thuraisingam LLP that he intends to pay the $2,500 fine but will go to jail in lieu of paying the fines for the illegal assembly and vandalism charges.
He started serving the default term, totalling 22 days, immediately. Stern warnings were issued to the other protesters.
This is Wham's second conviction for organising a public assembly without a permit and for refusing to sign his police statement.
In 2019, he was fined a total of $3,200 over an indoor event he organised in 2016 that featured Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong delivering a speech via a video call.
On Monday, district judge Marvin Bay noted in his sentencing remarks that there was a degree of escalation from Wham's previous offence.
"The escalation is pronounced in the prolonged nature of his offending of some two hours, which involved the described activities on a number of MRT trains on different lines," said the judge.
Judge Bay said while there was largely no "demonstration of belligerence or overt antagonism" on the part of the protesters, their actions would have caused "confusion, consternation and possibly a degree of anxiety among MRT commuters".
However, the judge added: "I am mindful that the protesters did remove their signs, did not cause damage to property and left no mark other than their transient presence (on the train)."
Prosecutors had sought a total fine of at least $9,500, arguing that Wham's "recalcitrance and continued disobedience of the law must be met with a sufficiently deterrent sentence".
In written submissions, deputy public prosecutors Ng Yiwen and Dillon Kok said the use of MRT trains could have caused public order issues. "Such public facilities are not meant to cater to the accused's mode of civil disobedience and social media publicity stunts," they said.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to fair trial
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 16, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Feb 10, 2021
- Event Description
On 10 February 2021, environmental rights defenders Samsir and Syamsul Bahri were arrested by the Tanjung Pura Police for their alleged involvement in the physical assault of an individual on18 December 2020. Both defenders are currently being held at the Langkat Police detention centre in Stabat.Samsir and Syamsul Bahri are environmental rights defenders and chairpersons of the Tani NipahGroup. The group works on the restoration and rehabilitation of the natural environment, by planting Rizophora and Nipah mangroves, and opening up water channels to better irrigate areas habited by the local communities. As environmental rights defenders, both have been actively involved in the preservation of the local environment and the fight against exploitation of the area.On 10 February 2021, the Tanjung Pura Police called in Samsir and Syamsul Bahri to record their statements in relation to their alleged involvement in an incident of assault that took place on 18December 2020. Later the same day, an arrest warrant was issued against the two defenders charging them under Article 170 of the penal code with ‘committing violence against persons or property’, in conjunction with Articles 55 and 56 of the Indonesian Penal Code which concerns‘giving order/influence to a crime’ and ‘assisting to commit a crime’. Following the issuing of the warrant, Samsir and Syamsul Bahri were arrested at the police station and sent to the Langkat Police detention centre for 20 days. The Tani Nipah Group believes that the case against the defenders has been fabricated as a form of intimidation for their environmental protection work.On 18 December 2020, the complainant in the assault case, along with another person, both of whom are believed to be affiliated to a palm oil company, approached and photographed the Tani Nipah Group while they were planting mangroves and cleaning up the areas managed by the community. Noticing the outsiders, Syamsul Bahri approached them and asked why they were documenting of the group’s work. The environmental rights defender was reportedly met with arrogant responses from the complainant. The commotion attracted other members of the Tani Nipah Group group to the scene, prompting the complainant to walk away. The complainant was then overheard informing an unknown individual on a call that he had been assaulted. After making the call, the complainant jumped into the nearby river. For fear that he might drown, members of the group immediately took a boat out to save him. They then questioned the complainants claimthat he had been attacked, after which the complainant immediately retracted his statement. The Tani Nipah Group has a video of the complainant retracting the assault accusation. The palm oil company that the complainant is believed to be affiliated with owns 65 hectares of land in the region. It is suspected that the company also has illegal palm oil plantations in the area.The Tani Nipah group and environmental defenders believe that the intimidation is being directed by the company because of the group’s work in protecting the mangrove forest environment.Samsir and Syamsul Bahri and the Tani Nipah group have been the target of threats and harassment in the past for their environmental protection work. In 2016, Syamsul Bahri was shot byan unknown individual just after he started working with the Tani Nipah Group. In 2017, Syamsul Bahri and his wife were hit and badly injured by an unknown motorcyclist. On several occasions,trees planted by the Tani Nipah Group group have been cut down. While formal complaints have been registered with the police, no action has been taken to find perpetrators of the aforementioned harassments.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Environmental rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 15, 2021
- Country
- Myanmar
- Initial Date
- Feb 13, 2021
- Event Description
Arrest warrants have been issued for seven people — including veteran student leaders as well as social influencers — accusing them of incitement against Myanmar’s military regime. The warrants were announced Saturday evening by Myanmar’s military.
Those facing arrest are U Min Ko Naing and Kyaw Min Yu (a.k.a. Ko Jimmy) who are the veteran democracy activists and leaders of the 1988 uprising; singer Linn Linn, who is a former bodyguard of detained leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi; Insein Aung Soe; Myo Yan Naung Thein, the director of Bayda Institute for a Just Society; presenter Maung Maung Aye and Facebook cele Ei Pencilo. They are charged with incitement, under Article 505 [b] of the Penal Code.
The military is alleging that the accused made and circulated a statement on social media intending to undermine the peace and order of the state.
The charge has been widely used to stifle political dissent under previous military regimes. If found guilty, the accused face up to two years in prison.
Since the pre-dawn coup on Feb. 1, the military has detained more than 300 people. Veteran leaders went into hiding but put out messages online daily to anti-coup protesters. Their social media messages also called for civil servants to take part in the civil disobedience movement (CDM).
Since last week, U Min Ko Naing also urged the public to boycott the businesses run by the military.
The accused actively support the CDM and are organizing to financially support those government staff, who take part in the CDM. Started by healthcare workers, the CDM movement is gaining momentum with some police, teachers, engineers, railways staff, as well as news announcers from the ministry of information boycotting the coup.
The military attempted to arrest the cele Ei Pencilo during the coup day, but have been unsuccessful.
- Impact of Event
- 7
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Artist, Blogger/ Social Media Activist, Pro-democracy activist, Student
- Perpetrator-State
- Armed forces/ Military
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Feb 15, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Feb 14, 2021
- Event Description
A 22-year-old Indian climate activist has been arrested after sharing a document intended to help farmers protest against new agricultural laws.
Police said Disha Ravi was a "key conspirator" in the "formulation and dissemination" of the document.
The "toolkit", which suggests ways of helping the farmers, was tweeted by prominent activist Greta Thunberg.
Activists say Ms Ravi's arrest is a clear warning to those who want to show support to anti-government protests.
Tens of thousands of farmers have been protesting for more than two months over the laws, which they say benefit only big corporations.
The new legislation loosens rules around the sale, pricing and storage of farm produce which have protected India's farmers from the free market for decades.
The farmers' protests mark the biggest challenge India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced. His government has offered to suspend the laws but the farmers want them replaced altogether. What do we know about Disha Ravi's arrest?
Ms Ravi, one of the founders of the Indian branch of the Fridays for Future climate strike, was arrested by Delhi police.
In a statement posted on social media on Sunday, police said she had "collaborated" to "spread disaffection against the Indian State".
It said she was an editor of the document and had shared it with Swedish climate activist Ms Thunberg.
Officials said Ms Ravi would be held in custody for five days. No formal charges have been announced.
Police have said the toolkit suggested a conspiracy in the run up to a huge rally on 26 January, which saw protesting farmers clash with police.
"The call was to wage economic, social, cultural and regional war against India," Delhi Police Special Commissioner Praveer Ranjan said earlier this month.
"We have registered a case for spreading disaffection against the government of India - it's regarding sedition - and disharmony between groups on religious, social and cultural grounds, and criminal conspiracy to give shape to such a plan," he added.
Jairam Ramesh, a former minister and lawmaker for the opposition Congress party, called Ms Ravi's arrest and detention "completely atrocious".
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- WHRD, Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 15, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Feb 10, 2021
- Event Description
About one thousand joined a protest at Pathum Wan Skywalk in a bid to address economic hardship and demand the release of detained activists. They also underlined their original 3 demands: resignation of the PM, constitutional amendment and monarchy reform.
Protesters descending to the BACC forecourt at dusk.
After a hiatus of a month because of the resurgence of Covid-19 infections in January, the Ratsadorn protest group and the Labour Network for People’s Rights joined hands to organize a ‘banging pots against dictatorship’ protest, an activity inspired by the pot-banging in Myanmar as an anti-dictatorship message.
People started to gather at 15.00, an hour prior to the designated time. The police could be seen setting up checkpoints to search people’s belongings before joining the protests. Over 100 crowd control police, fully equipped with defensive gear, batons and shields, were deployed along with 2 water cannon trucks.
Protesters gathered on the Skywalk for an hour before descending to the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre forecourt.
Sriprai Nonsee of the Rangsit and Area Labour Union Group gave a speech about the hardship of workers, demanding that the government have a comprehensive relief policy, instead of picking some groups of people and leaving others behind. In Thailand, migrant workers do not receive any kind of relief from the government.
She said inequality in Thailand must be solved. The budgets for the military and monarchy are too high. They should be cut in order to pay for social welfare. People’s taxes should be used to alleviate the people’s hardship.
Protesters with drums joining the pot-banging activity.
Panupong Jadnok, a leading protest figure from Rayong Province, said police tactics today were against universal principles in dealing with protests. A crackdown can only be authorized by the courts, not someone’s order.
His message to the government and the King was that people are now starving to death in poverty. They cannot wait for the King to smash his crown into pieces with the pieces distributed to the people.
Tossaporn Serirak, a doctor and former MP, attended the protest as usual. He was seen drawing portraits and bringing first aid kits to deal with emergencies. He said he was there out of concern for the protesters’ safety.
“I want to say ‘keep fighting’, but there must be awareness. The most important thing is experience. Our young brothers and sisters have power and knowledge but what they lack is experience.
Tossaporn Serirak showing the bandages he brings along.
“I say to the government, the Prime Minister or all the great people, stop creating the conditions for protests. It is better to quickly stop everything and start negotiating,” said Tossaporn.
Many people could be seen with the banners calling for the abolition of Section 112 of the Criminal Code and also with banners protesting the Myanmar coup.
March to police station
As the protest went on, at least 9 people were arrested at the protest and taken to Pathumwan Police Station, where all but two were released after paying a fine.
At 16.45 a woman was arrested while she was spraying “No Ju” on a bulletin board near the BTS train station. Cleaning staff were immediately summoned to remove the message.
Panussaya Sitthijirawattanakul from the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration (UFTD), another leading protest figure, announced that the protesters would march to Pathumwan Police Station, located about a kilometre away, where at least 4 people from today’s protest were detained .
Before the march, Panussaya said the government has underestimated the people's movement. The people have not forgotten the three main demands of the movement that started in 2020: the resignation of Gen Prayut, a new constitution from the people, and reform of the constitutional monarchy.
Chaos as tear gas thrown
At 19.50 the protesters arrived at the police station. Some protesters could be seen holding banners supporting a republic.
Panupong said the police had until 20.30 to release those arrested, or protesters would break into the station.
At 20.28 a commotion took place behind and beside the police station. Protesters clashed with crowd control police who had just arrived. The sound of explosions could be heard and the use of tear gas was reported.
Panupong encouraged people who were ready to deal with the clash to go to the front line. People could be seen passing water to the front in order to counteract the effects of tear gas.
At 20.48, the two remaining arrested protesters were released on 5,000 baht bail each. A tear gas canister was found behind the police station at the clash site, but police denied the use of tear gas.
However, many people who were residing and eating in a community there dispersed in chaos as they felt the tear gas sensation.
At 21.03 the protests dispersed. 16 and 19 February are designated as the next protest dates with a 'street no-confidence motion' to parallel the no-confidence motion in parliament on the same dates.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment, Use of Excessive Force, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, Student
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 11, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Feb 9, 2021
- Event Description
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), the specialised investigation agency under the revenue department, started its raid at eight locations of the digital news portal on February 9 in response to a Delhi Police First Information Report(FIR) alleging Newsclick was involving in a money laundering operation. Police alleged Newsclick received foreign funding of ₹30 crore (USD 4.1 million) from a now “defunct US company". Raids also targeted six staff members’ residences the same night while Newsclick offices search stretched out over 38 hours. The raid at the home of editor-in-chief and founder, Prabir Purkayastha, lasted 113 hours, ending finally at 1.30 am on February 14. During the raid, ED officials blocked 73-year-old Prakayastha from leaving his house. ED officials are yet to disclose any findings from the raids.
During the raid, ED officials seized communication devices of Newclick directors and senior management which impacted their ability to continue regular work. In a statement on February 10, Newsclick said it fully cooperated with officials. It however, claims that the raid was an attempt to silence those who refuse to toe the Indian establishment line.
NewsClick revealed that staff and shareholders whose homes were raided were also questioned about their links to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the recent farmers’ protests and jailed rights activist Gautam Navlakha. Reports suggest the raid was a retaliation for Newclick’s ground reports and analytical videos from the recent farmers’ movement in India.
Such raids are a routine tactic and practice of the Modi government, by which government agencies are used to intimidate journalists and suppress adversarial journalism. The government has a pattern of misusing laws such as sedition and defamation law, the Disaster Management Act, the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Information Technology Act, among others to silence the critics and harass dissidents. In October 2018, India’s Income Tax Department also raided the offices of respected news website The Quint.
- Impact of Event
- 7
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Judicial Harassment, Raid
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 11, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Feb 1, 2021
- Event Description
Shortly after Thais and Myanmarese staged a protest against the coup by the Myanmar military this afternoon, they were dispersed by the Royal Thai Police with shields and batons. 3 people were arrested.
The 3 were taken to Yannawa Police Station: one is a member of the volunteer protest guard group We Volunteer, one a student from Thammasat University and the other an ordinary citizen.
Kath Khangpiboon, a lecturer from Thammasat University, accompanied the arrested student in the police car to the police station and stayed there.
Another gathering took place at the Pathumwan Skywalk where 3 students distributed leaflets in opposition to the coup in Myanmar.
In response to the coup and detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, the de-facto leader of the NLD-led administration, along with NLD politicians and candidates countrywide, some Myanmar citizens gathered in front of the Myanmar Embassy to Thailand at around 15.00, many wearing red shirts and carrying NLD flags, banners or portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Some also raised the 3-finger salute, an anti-dictatorship gesture used in Thai pro-democracy protests. We Volunteer also participated in the protest.
Political activists including Parit Chiwarak and Panussaya Sitthijirawattanakul and political figures including Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, Pannika Wanich and Amarat Chokepamitkul were also present.
At around 17.00, police with batons and shields arrived at the scene and swiftly dispersed the protesters. Loud, explosive-like sounds were reportedly heard and smoke flares were seen in the live footage from THE MATTER. Border town in stockpile rush, peace process may be delayed
A source from Tachileik, a town in Shan State bordering Chiang Rai Province, said people there found out about the coup at dawn. Myanmar soldiers had been deployed along the border since 01.00. The 2nd Thai-Myanmar friendship bridge that is regularly open for trade was closed.
Airports and banks were reportedly closed. The internet and telecommunications were cut, although those using Thai internet services in the border town are still able to access the internet. People were seen stockpiling supplies in panic.
BBC Myanmar reported that ATM machines were not functioning.
Khuensai Jaiyen, founder of the Shan Herald Agency for News, a Chiang Mai-based news agency reporting on Shan State news, and Director of the Pyidaungsu Institute, a research centre supporting the Myanmar peace process, said the military seizure of power was made under Section 417 of the Myanmar constitution which allows the military to take control of the administration after declaring a state of emergency.
Khuensai said that in the eyes of the military, their action was not considered a coup as the constitution still remains intact, but the international community will see it as a coup, which will inform their attitude toward the military’s decision.
Khuensai has participated in the peace process steering committee and believes that the process will be delayed. The military is likely to prioritize quelling the conflicts in the townships first, with the border and ethnic issues to be addressed later. Activists, political parties in Thailand opposing the coup
In Chiang Mai in the north where many Myanmar people live and work, activists staged a demonstration at the Rin Kham intersection. They demanded that ASEAN member countries boycott the military government and also called for the unconditional release of those detained in Myanmar after the coup.
The pro-democracy protest group Ratsadon (the people) also published a statement denouncing the overthrow of democracy and violation of people’s rights. They demanded that ASEAN member countries uphold the ASEAN Charter, that defines its regional pact by expressing protection for democracy and human rights.
Before the election victory of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in 2015, Chiang Mai was where many Myanmar civil organizations and media took refuge and established a base. Many returned to Myanmar after the NLD victory. It is not known whether their return is possible due to the current Thai-Myanmar border shutdown.
Thai opposition parties like Pheu Thai and Move Forward Party also released statements denouncing the coup for violating the people’s rights, liberties and political will expressed by their votes. They also demanded the immediate unconditional release of those detained.
No government party including Palang Pracharat has yet expressed any opinion regarding the coup in Myanmar.
- Impact of Event
- 4
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, Student
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 10, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Feb 9, 2021
- Event Description
A crowd of around 500 gathered at the Pathumwan Skywalk yesterday evening (9 February), after the Criminal Court denied bail for activists Parit Chiwarak, Anon Nampa, Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, and Patiwat Saraiyaem, who are being detained in prison pending trial and have been taken to the Bangkok Remand Prison.
A spokesperson for the state prosecutor has announced that cases has been filed against Anon Nampa, Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, Patiwat Saraiyaem and Parit Chiwarak under Section 112 of the Criminal Code for giving speeches about the monarchy in protests during 2020, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
The cases stem from 2 separate events. The first is the 19-20 September protest at Thammasat University and Sanam Luang for which all four have been charged under the lèse majesté law, the sedition law (Section 116 of the Criminal Code), and the Act on Ancient Monuments, Antiques, Objects of Art and National Museums.
The second is the ‘mobfest’ protest at the Democracy Monument on 14 November for which only Parit has been charged. Sulak Sivaraksa, a Thai historian and Somchai Homlaor, a human rights lawyer are reportedly listed as witnesses.
iLaw reports that bail has been denied by the court, which ruled that the cases carry heavy sentences and the four have a tendency to repeat the offences. They will be detained in prison pending trial.
The detention during trial means they will be imprisoned indefinitely until the trial is over unless the bail would be granted at some point along the way.
The sedition and lèse majesté charges relate to their speeches, and the Act on Ancient Monuments has been invoked with regard to their installation of the 2021 People’s Party Plaque, a small metal plaque inspired by the People’s Party Plaque, a material symbol of the 1932 revolution which marked the change of regime in Siam from absolute monarchy to democracy.
The 2021 People’s Party Plaque was installed on Sanam Luang, which is recognized as an archaeological site.
These are the first lèse majesté cases to have finally made their way to the courts since the mass arrests and prosecutions after Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha vowed in November 2020 to use ‘every law’ to deal with the pro-democracy protesters who have been rallying for political and monarchy reform.
All other cases are still under police investigation.
According to THLR, at least 58 people have been charged under Section 112 in 44 cases. 23 cases were filed by ordinary citizens, 3 by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and the rest by the police.
Human rights lawyer Anon, activist Somyot, student Parit and mor lam singer Patiwat are well-known political activists who have been rallying for monarchy reform and Thai democratization.
- Impact of Event
- 4
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to fair trial
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Feb 10, 2021
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Feb 2, 2021
- Event Description
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines expressed their concern over yet another red-tagging incident of a journalist who reported on the plight of Aetas who were tortured to admitting that they are members of the New People’s Army.
The red-tagging of Philippine Daily Inquirer reporter Tetch Torres-Tupas took place just two days after petitioners against the Philippine terror law raised its dangers.
On February 3, 2021, Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., labeled Inquirer.net journalist Tetch Torres-Tupas a propagandist over her story “Tortured Aetas seek SC help against anti-terror law”, saying she should have “[checked] the side of the [Armed Forces of the Philippines] and [government] if what you are reporting is true or fake.”
“Congratulations for a sloppy work Tetch Torres-Tupaz of Inquirer.net. You did not even bother to check the side of the [Armed Forces of the Philippines] and [government] if what you are reporting is true or fake. Propagandista. No such thing happened. That unit is not even there but in Davao,” Parlade’s Facebook post read.
Parlade’s post was referring to an August 2020 incident where Philippine soldiers allegedly detained and beat three Indigenous people in Zambales province.
However, the story penned by Torres-Tupas touches on the petition-in-intervention filed by Aeta farmers Japer Gurung and Junior Ramos on February 2, 2021 and the allegations made in that petition.
A social media user also commented in Filipino asking, “Sir, can we file charges against them?,” to which Parlade replied: “Aiding the terrorists by spreading lies? Yes.”
In another post, the lieutenant general asks if Torres-Tupas referenced “propaganda machines of the [Communist Party of the Philippines],” with an attached photo of links directing to the websites of Human Rights Watch and Kodao Productions.
The NUJP reiterated that while the government has issued reassurances that the ATA will not be used to stifle dissent or clamp down on the press, statements and actions similar to what Parlade has shown holds more value than the press statements.
The group added, “the Facebook post against Torres-Tupas, are threats directed not only at those questioning the ATA but also at those covering the controversial law.”
The NUJP expressed fears that government inaction on the threat against Tupas and on similar threats against journalists and activists would signify that the government is consenting and even endorsing such actions, contrary to the claim that the ATA will not target government critics.
Justice and Court Reporters Association (Jucra) also condemned Parlade’s threat against Tupas saying that it is “utterly unacceptable.”
In a statement the group said journalists at the justice beat also reported the same story which is based on two Aeta’s petition for intervention. “Should we all wait for threat from Parlade too?”
“Had Parlade also done his research and listened to the oral arguments, he would have known that posts like these are what petitioners claim as evidence of a credible threat of prosecution – threat that can warrant a judicial review of the law he seeks to protect and promote,” JUCRA said in a statement.
National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers president Edre Olalia also said Parlade’s threat against Tupas is validating the myriad of objections and criticisms against the ATA.
“This is a big favor he is giving us which is awfully unwelcome and outrageously unacceptable. Thanks but no thanks,” Olalia said.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Online Attack and Harassment, Vilification
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to protect reputation
- HRD
- Media Worker, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 10, 2021
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Feb 5, 2021
- Event Description
Four leaders of progressive groups were arrested in separate incidents in Butuan City last weekend, according to human rights group Karapatan in Caraga region.
Arrested were community health worker Vilma Dalangin-Yecyec, Gabriela Women’s Partylist Coordinator Gina Tutor, PISTON Spokesperson Isaias “Sayas” Ginorga, and Pamalakaya-Agusan del Norte member Greco Regala.
Police in Caraga claimed in a statement that those arrested are high ranking members of the New People’s Army. Three of them are being implicated in the killing of members of the Manobo tribe and former New People’s Army fighters in the region but rights group assert that all of them are active in the people’s organizations based in the city.
Two of those arrested are both 72 years old. One of them, Yecyec, was arrested on Feb. 6, in Mainit, Surigao del Norte. According to the group, she was taken to Camp Rafael Rodriguez, Butuan City.
Yecyec is suffering from various ailments, according to Karapatan.
The Council for Health and Development condemned the arrest. “Yet again, for perpetually failing to quell people’s resistance against the quagmire of poverty and oppression that breeds disease, state forces went after the unarmed civilian merely doing what she does best from decades ago up to the twilight of her life — serving the people through community-based health work,” CHD said.
On the same day, Tutor also arrested in her home in Buenavista while Regala was arrested in Tubay.
Meanwhile, Ginorga, also 72 years old, was arrested by the Butuan police on Feb. 5.
Ginorga and Tutor are known in Butuan City as leaders of progressive organizations. They were also slapped with trumped-up charges in relation to NPA offensives last year. Two of the charges filed in Surigao del Sur were later dismissed.
Pamalakaya said in a statement that Regala is involved in local campaigns, including the protection of municipal waters against illegal fishing and other destructive projects.
Gabriela Women’s Party, meanwhile, said Tutor has been working with the group in “pushing for pro-women and pro-poor legislation that will benefit Caraga, one of the poorest regions in the country.”
“Gina, along with the other community organizers arrested, are clearly not terrorists. This cruel act of arresting progressive community organizers demonstrates the perils of the Anti-Terror Law against unarmed civilians who are merely voicing out their legitimate concerns amid the crises we are facing,” the group said in a statement.
- Impact of Event
- 4
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community), Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment, Vilification
- Rights Concerned
- Right to liberty and security, Right to protect reputation
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, NGO staff, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 10, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Feb 9, 2021
- Event Description
A Chinese businesswoman was sentenced to three years’ jail on Tuesday, according to her supporters, after she spoke out in defence of dissident law professor Xu Zhangrun , who has openly criticised the Communist Party and President Xi Jinping . Geng Xiaonan , 46, and her husband Qin Zhen, as well as employees of her private publishing company, stood trial at the Haidian District People’s Court in Beijing after the couple were detained in September and investigated for “illegal business operations”.
There was a heavy police presence outside the court and supporters said they were barred from entering. Friends including Xu and activists Ji Feng and Yan Zhengxue were stopped by the authorities from leaving their homes to attend the hearing.
The trial was broadcast live by the Haidian court but footage was taken down from its website after it was viewed more than 80,000 times and it did not release a statement on the case.
After asking the court to disregard her legal defence, Geng pleaded guilty to charges including conducting illegal business activities, according to a video of the trial that was captured and posted online.
In pleading guilty, Geng asked the court for leniency in the cases of her husband and staff, saying they had been “forced to carry out orders from their boss”. She also contradicted her legal defence and claimed to have been “the sole proprietor and decision maker” of the publishing company since 2001.
“I would really appreciate it if the court would be lenient on them and target all of the sentencing burden on me alone,” Geng said.
She also asked the court to consider giving her a lighter sentence on humanitarian grounds since she is the only child of, and supports, her disabled war veteran father who lives alone.
Qin, Geng’s husband, was sentenced to 2½ years in prison, suspended for three years.
A number of Geng’s supporters, including prominent liberal intellectual Guo Yuhua, went to the Haidian court but were blocked from entering. Witnesses said more than a dozen police vehicles were parked outside the court, and Geng’s lawyers had been warned not to speak to the media. Dissident Ji said he had been told by state security personnel on Monday evening to stay at home the next day. “Two officers came to my house in the morning and stopped me from leaving. The same thing happened to Xu Zhangrun ,” Ji said by phone.
He said Geng had been indicted over illegal business activities involving 200,000 copies of mostly cookery books for which the full publishing rights had not been obtained.
“‘Illegal business activities’ is just an alternative charge to ‘inciting state subversion’ when it comes to entrepreneurs who are critical of China’s political ecology,” Ji said. “The purpose is to intimidate, silence and cut off all social networks they have with political dissidents in a bid to isolate them.”
Geng, who is also an art curator and film producer, was detained, along with her husband, two months after she had spoken out in support of Xu. He had been detained by police for “patronising prostitutes” during a trip which Geng organised for a group of academics including Xu to the southwestern city of Chengdu last year.
Xu, who has since been released but cannot leave Beijing, denies the charges and has hired lawyers to clear his name. After he was detained, Xu was sacked by Tsinghua University in Beijing where he had taught law for 20 years. The university also accused Xu of publishing articles since mid-2018 that “seriously violated” its code of conduct. Xu, 57, has written a series of articles criticising the authorities in recent years, taking aim at Communist Party leaders over the decision to remove the two-term limit on the presidency – allowing Xi to remain as president after 2023 – and the handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to fair trial, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Artist, Family of HRD, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Related Events
- China: outspoken publisher, her husband detained
- Date added
- Feb 10, 2021
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Sep 25, 2020
- Event Description
The Observatory has been informed by Karapatan - the Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights - of the judicial harassment of Karapatan National Council member Daisy ‘Jackie’ Valencia.
On September 25, 2020, the Regional Trial Court Branch 30 in Tagum, Davao del Norte Province, issued an arrest warrant for Daisy ‘Jackie’ Valencia. However, she was only recently made aware through a reliable source of the murder charges pressed against her. At the time of publication of this Urgent Appeal, Ms. Valencia had not received any formal notice from the Court.
Daisy ‘Jacky’ Valencia is accused of being a member of an armed rebel group responsible for the killing of Mr. Garito Tiklonay Malibato on March 22, 2018 in Mindanao, although she was not in Mindanao when the killing took place. It is believed that Mr. Malibato was killed by members of the paramilitary group Alamara, from which he was receiving death threats for his work with indigenous people’s organisation Karadyawan.
The Observatory notes that since 2018, Daisy ‘Jackie’ Valencia has been a victim of red-tagging[1]. Her name has appeared on leaflets in Isabela and Cagayan provinces that label her as a “communist” and a “terrorist” and link her to the armed opposition group New People’s Army (NPA).
The Observatory recalls that since President Duterte took power in June 2016, human rights defenders have faced relentless vilification and red-tagging, and have been repeatedly subjected to trumped-up charges and lengthy pre-trial arbitrary detention, with the aim to discredit their legitimate work and to silence critical voices. Karapatan members have been subjected to frequent harassment, criminalisation and attacks, including the killing of Ms. Zara Alvarez in August 2020.
The Observatory expresses its utmost concern over the judicial harassment of Daisy ‘Jackie’ Valencia as it seems to be only aimed at punishing her for her legitimate human rights activities.
The Observatory urges the Philippines authorities to immediately and unconditionally drop the charges against Daisy ‘Jackie’ Valencia and to put an end to all acts of harassment against her, including at the judicial level.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to fair trial, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- NGO staff, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 9, 2021
- Country
- Myanmar
- Initial Date
- Feb 9, 2021
- Event Description
Police in Myanmar have fired rubber bullets and used teargas against protesters defying a ban on large gatherings, in an escalation of the military government’s response to demonstrations against last week’s coup.
Witnesses in Naypyidaw, the remote capital purpose-built by the previous military regime, said police fired rubber bullets at protesters after earlier blasting them with water cannon. A doctor at a clinic in the city told Reuters three people were being treated for suspected rubber bullet wounds.
Earlier, officers had used water cannons to beat back the crowd, and demonstrators had responded by throwing projectiles. Footage on social media showed people running, with the sound of several gunshots in the distance.
Opponents of the 1 February coup gathered in towns and cities across the country for a fourth day of protests on Tuesday, including in Yangon and Mandalay, where evening curfews have been instituted and gatherings of more than five people are banned.
Teargas was used against crowds in Mandalay, where police arrested at least 27 anti-coup demonstrators, including a journalist, media organisations said. A journalist from the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) said he was detained after filming the rally. He said people were beaten. Two media organisations also confirmed the arrests.
The military takeover followed an election in November decisively won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) that army leaders claim was fraudulent. The detention of Aung San Suu Kyi sparked outrage across the south-east Asian country of 53 million, and a growing civil disobedience movement affecting hospitals, schools and government offices.
Demonstrations were also held on Tuesday in other cities, including Bago - where city elders negotiated with police to avoid a violent confrontation - and Dawei, and in northern Shan state.
In Magwe in central Myanmar, where water cannons were also used, unconfirmed reports on social media claimed several police officers had crossed over to join the protesters’ ranks. A police officer in Naypyidaw was also said to have switched sides.
As large crowds again gathered near Sule Pagoda in downtown Yangon, one witness estimated there were tens of thousands on the streets by mid morning. Martial law and rumours of incoming soldiers had created an atmosphere of unease, but protesters were determined. Myanmar coup protests grow – in pictures
Pyae Phyo, 33, was gathered with his friends from the Myanmar Seamen Union under the shade of a tree near Sule Pagoda.
“Because of last night’s martial law announcement I thought people may not come,” he said. “But they have come. I am so proud of my people. Every day we will come here. Every day we aren’t free we will protest peacefully for our real leaders, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and president U Win Myint.”
Earlier Win, 37, a street food vendor, said “Today I heard troops were on their way from Naypyidaw, but that won’t stop the protests.”
The protesters carried anti-coup placards including, “We want our leader”, in reference to Aung San Suu Kyi, and, “No dictatorship”.
Pockets of ambulances manned by a network of volunteer doctors and medical workers were stationed near Sule Pagoda.
Myat Moe Lwin, 25, a graduate doctor, and his colleague Kaung Pyae Sone Thin, 25, were waiting near the ambulances and were prepared to aid protesters injured by water cannon.
“We need to be ready,” he said. “So many people are protesting against the coup. We had to help if there are any problems. It is our professional duty.”
In San Chaung township in Yangon – where large gatherings were banned – scores of teachers marched on the main road, waving a defiant three-finger salute that has become the trademark of resistance to the coup.
“We are not worried about their warning. That’s why we came out today. We cannot accept their excuse of vote fraud. We do not want any military dictatorship,” teacher Thein Win Soe told AFP.
There was confusion over the reach of section 144 of the penal code, which bans gatherings of five or more people. State newspaper The Global New Light of Myanmar announced that two townships in Yangon and others in Mandalay, Sagaing and Kayah state would be subject to the curfew but some believed it was nationwide.
The US embassy said it had received reports of an 8pm to 4am local time curfew in the two biggest cities, Yangon and Mandalay.
Promises on Monday from junta leader Min Aung Hlaing to eventually hold a new election have drawn scorn. In his first address since seizing power, he repeated unproven accusations of fraud in last November’s election. He promised “true and disciplined democracy,” different from previous eras of military rule which left Myanmar in isolation and poverty.
“We will have a multiparty election and we will hand the power to the one who wins in that election, according to the rules of democracy,” he said.
Min Aung Hlaing gave no time frame for the proposed vote, but the junta has said a state of emergency will last one year.
The military also released a statement on state TV on Monday warning that opposition to the junta was unlawful Western governments have widely condemned the coup, although there has been little concrete action. The UN security council has called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other detainees. The UN human rights council will hold a special session on Friday to discuss the crisis, at the behest of Britain and the European Union.
- Impact of Event
- 27
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Media Worker, Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Feb 9, 2021
- Country
- Myanmar
- Initial Date
- Feb 10, 2021
- Event Description
Security forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas at anti-coup protesters in Myanmar's capital on Tuesday (Feb 9), as demonstrators around the country defied a military ban on rallies.
Protests erupted for a fourth straight day against last week's coup to oust civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, despite a warning from the new junta that they would take action against demonstrations that threatened "stability".
In Naypyidaw, the remote capital purpose built by the previous military regime, witnesses said police fired rubber bullets at protesters after earlier blasting them with water cannon.
"They fired warning shots to the sky two times, then they fired (at protesters) with rubber bullets," a resident told AFP, adding that he saw some people injured.
An AFP reporter on the ground confirmed that shots had been fired.
In Mandalay, the country's second-biggest city, police fired tear gas to disperse protesters.
After watching hundreds of thousands of people rally in opposition to last week's coup, junta chief General Min Aung Hlaing made a televised speech on Monday evening to justify seizing power.
The military has banned gatherings of more than five people in Yangon, the nation's commercial hub, as well as Naypyidaw and other areas across the country where major rallies have erupted, including the second biggest city Mandalay.
A nighttime curfew has also been imposed at the protest hotspot sites.
But on Tuesday, fresh protests emerged in various parts of Yangon, including near the headquarters of the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained by the military.
On Tuesday, Myanmar's authorities extended areas where gatherings are restricted to more parts of the country, the military's information unit said
The areas where public gatherings of more than five people are banned and a curfew has been imposed include the commercial hub of Yangon, the capital Naypyidaw, as well as some towns in the Magwe region, Kachin state, Kayah state, Mon state and Shan State, the Facebook page of the military's True News information unit said.
One witness told Reuters that demonstrators ran away as guns were fired into the air, but not in the direction of the crowd.
The witness said police had initially used water cannon and tried to push a large crowd back, but demonstrators responded with projectiles.
Footage on social media showed people running, with the sound of several gunshots in the distance.
At least six anti-coup protesters were injured in police shooting in Naypyitaw on Tuesday and two of them are in a critical condition. A volunteer medic with the protest told The Irrawaddy that a man who was shot in the chest and a 20-year-old woman was shot in the head, the most serious injury.
Police shot 19-year-old student Mya Thwe Thwe Khine, also known as Myat Thet Thet Khaing in the head while she positioned herself with other protesters behind a protective barricade. A family member confirmed her death online.Mobile-phone footage of the incident shows police firing weapons in the direction of protesters, and a gunshot rings out as Myat Thet Thet Khaing drops to the ground. She was taken to a hospital in Naypyidaw where a doctor confirmed to Fortify Rights that she sustained an imminently fatal gunshot wound to the head with live ammunition. A doctor on the scene told Fortify Rights she was brain dead. Brain death is the complete loss of brain function and in most jurisdictions is regarded as legal death.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community), Woman
- Violation
- Death, Killing, Use of Excessive Force, Violence (physical), Wounds and Injuries
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to life, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, Student, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Feb 9, 2021
- Country
- Bangladesh
- Initial Date
- Feb 7, 2021
- Event Description
Detectives have pressed charges against photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol in a case filed with Hazaribagh Police Station under the Digital Security Act.
Sub-inspector Mohammad Rassel Mollah of detective branch of police, and also investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka on Sunday.
In the charge sheet, the IO said the charges brought against Kajol were primarily proved and he should be brought under trial.
Usmin Ara Beli, a member of Bangladesh Jubo Mahila League's Central Committee, filed the case against Kajol on March 10 last year.
Later, Kajol was shown arrested in the case on May 14 last year and he was placed on a three-day remand in the case on June 28 the same year.
On June 23, Kajol was also shown arrested in a case filed against him by ruling party lawmaker Saifuzzaman Shikhor (from Magura-1) with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station under the same act.
He was later shown arrested in another case filed with Kamrangir Char Police Station under the Digital Security Act.
However, investigators are yet to submit any probe report on the two cases filed with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and Kamrangir Char police stations.
Kajol was found by Border Guard Bangladesh in Benapole on May 3, 2020 -- 53 days into his disappearance. He was then arrested initially on charges of trespassing but was granted bail by a Jashore court.
However, on the same day, Kajol was shown arrested under section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure after police informed the court that three more cases against Kajol were pending with different police stations in Dhaka.
The court then sent him to Jashore jail. Later, he was shifted to the jail in Keraniganj.
On December 25, last year, Kajol was released after the High Court granted him bail in all three cases on different dates.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Related Events
- Bangladesh: missing media worker is arrested as soon as he shows up after nearly 2 months (Update)
- Date added
- Feb 9, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Feb 7, 2021
- Event Description
Yesterday, national security officers of the Hong Kong Police Force arrested Wan on four charges of “doing an act with a seditious intention,” a criminal offense under the territory’s colonial-era sedition law, according to news reports.
Wan, who broadcasts under the name “Giggs,” hosts a show on the internet radio channel D100 that reports and comments on political issues in mainland China and Hong Kong, including on the arrest of Apple Daily newspaper founder Jimmy Lai. D100 is an independent station that has about 510,000 followers on its YouTube channel and about 59,000 followers on its Facebook page.
If convicted of sedition, Wan could face a fine of up to $5,000 Hong Kong dollars (US$644) and up to two years in jail for a first offense, and up to three years in jail for subsequent offenses, according to Hong Kong’s Crimes Ordinance.
“Hong Kong authorities’ use of sedition charges against radio host Wan Yiu-sing amounts to a government assault on press freedom and freedom of speech,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator, in Washington, D.C. “Wan should be freed with all charges dropped, and the government should halt its ridiculous efforts to block political criticism by journalists.”
The charges stem from comments Wan made on four shows between August and October 2020, which police allege had an intent to incite hatred or contempt towards the People’s Republic of China and the Hong Kong government, and to instigate Hong Kongers to illegally seek changes to the city’s lawful orders, according to news reports.
The Hong Kong Police Force did not immediately respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment.
Wan felt unwell in police custody last night and has been hospitalized, according to reports. He was originally scheduled to attend a court hearing today, but it has been adjourned to February 11, according to those reports.
Journalists in Hong Kong have faced increasing repression and harassment since the passage of the new national security law on July 1, 2020, as CPJ has documented. On December 11, Hong Kong authorities charged Lai with foreign collusion under that law.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 9, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- Feb 4, 2021
- Event Description
Security guards blocked some protesters outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court from buying breakfast, and told a street vendor of noodles, meatball soup, pork and rice to not sell to them, the protesters alleged on Thursday while rallying on an empty stomach.
Mey Sophorn, 41, and Dos Kimteav, 43, sat in the shade around the corner from City Mall, across the street from the court, around 10 a.m. on Thursday. Kimteav appeared dejected, while Sophorn’s face was hidden behind a surgical mask. They still had not eaten, they said.
“The food vendor would not dare to sell to us,” said Sophorn. “We felt hurt. We had money.”
Just before 8 a.m., the pair, among demonstrators calling for the release of jailed opposition members, initially tried to approach the street seller, stationed outside the mall on Charles de Gaulle Blvd., but was rebuffed by guards, Sophorn said.
“The security guards said that if we didn’t leave, they would stop them from selling,” she added
Kimteav said the guards had argued that the breakfast could turn into a larger gathering of protesters if they sat down around the seller.
One guard then approached the cart, allegedly telling the vendor and her two assistants, “Don’t sell it, don’t sell it, be careful, be careful of not being allowed to sell here,” according to Kimteav.
In recent months, guards have increasingly prohibited gatherings near the court, including confining protesters and journalists to the nearby Olympic Stadium grounds during prominent trial dates.
When VOD arrived at the scene around 10 a.m., five security guards sat on plastic chairs around the vendor eating, and this reporter was also able to order pork and rice with a fried egg.
The street vendor later acknowledged that a guard had spoken to her. If she sold to the women and the women caused trouble, she wouldn’t be allowed to continue her business, the vendor said she was told. The vendor declined to give her name or further details, saying she was afraid she would face problems.
It could not be ascertained for which institution the allegedly breakfast-blocking guards worked.
Chan Rithy, Phnom Penh’s chief of municipal security guards, said he had no information about Thursday’s enforcement. Prampi Makara district governor Lim Sophea and deputy governor Chea Sotheara said they were too busy to comment.
Phnom Penh City Hall spokesperson Met Measpheakdey, however, said he would look into the case. He said he needed more time to find out if the allegations were true.
“I will research and ask them if there was such a case or not, so I can comment,” Measpheakdey said on Thursday.
Reached on Friday, the spokesperson said he had checked with local authorities and none had reported the incident described by the two protesters, although Measpheakdey did not specify which authorities he asked about the alleged breakfast ban.
“There is no such case. I do not know which security guards would have led them to make these claims. No one forbids anyone to eat. It seems wrong,” he said.
Am Sam Ath, monitoring manager for human rights group Licadho, said that if the protesters’ account was accurate, the actions of a couple of guards could tarnish the image of authorities as a whole.
“There is no right to ban anyone from selling or eating,” he said. “There can be no ban on eating.”
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 9, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Feb 6, 2021
- Event Description
Thousands of farmers blocked major highways and crucial roads across the State around 170 points on Saturday afternoon as part of a national ‘chakka jam’ call given by Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a coalition of farmers’ unions protesting against the three new farm laws.
Police detained protesters at most places where roads were blocked. In Bengaluru, farmers and Kannada organisations blocked roads at two critical junctions – Yelahanka and Mysore Bank Circle – but were detained minutes later. Vehicular movement in these areas was not affected, said the police.
Farmer leader Kuraburu Shantakumar, who led the road block protest at Yelahanka, said the police detained three groups of farmers who tried to block roads one after the other. “Our only demand is that the Union government withdraw the three farm laws. But today's protest is also against how the Union government is treating farmers, booking false cases and using brute force of the police against protesters,” he said.
Farmers blocked Bengaluru-Mysuru highway at Mysuru, Mandya and Ramanagaram, Ballari Road at Devanahalli and Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru-Chennai highway at Kolar, Bengaluru-Bidar highway at Kalaburagi and Shahpura, and several key junctions on Tumakuru Road and in Belagavi, Davanagere, Raichur and Koppal, among other places. At several roadblock points, farmers came with bullock carts and cattle, and in many places even cooked on roads.
A statement from Samyukta Horata - Karnataka, a coalition of farmer, Dalit and progressive organisations, termed the protests in the State a success. They demanded that the Centre immediately stop harassing protesting farmers at the Delhi borders, and heed their demands and withdraw the three farm laws.
Meanwhile, senior Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj condemned Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa for ‘blindly following the diktat of the Centre’.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to liberty and security, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Community-based HRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 9, 2021
- Country
- Kazakhstan
- Initial Date
- Feb 3, 2021
- Event Description
Police in Kazakhstan's northwestern city of Oral have prevented journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov and several activists from traveling to the western city of Atyrau, where they planned to greet outspoken government critic Maks Boqaev upon his release from prison on February 4.
Activists in Oral told RFE/RL that Akhmedyarov, the chief editor of the independent newspaper Uralskaya Nedelya, was stopped by police on his way to Atyrau on February 3 and held for questioning in an unspecified case.
Akhmedyarov placed a video on Facebook showing the moment of his detention as he argued with police, saying that he had received a subpoena ordering him to show up on February 5 at a police station for questioning, which he was going to follow and therefore there was no need to hold him.
Four rights activists in Oral, Maqsat Aisauytov, Bekbolat Otebaev, Bauyrzhan Alipqaliev, and Orynbai Oqasov, also were summoned to the police on February 4. They say they were ordered to come to the police so that they were unable to travel to Atyrau on that day to attend Boqaev's release.
The police department in Oral told RFE/RL that the activists and Akhmedyarov were summoned over "a classified criminal case."
"Kazakhstan authorities are once again trying to prevent journalists from reporting on public interest issues, and this time they have targeted editor Lukpan Akhmedyarov," Gulnoza Said, Europe and Central Asia program coordinator at the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement.
"Instead of wasting their time detaining and threatening members of the press, authorities should encourage journalists to report on politics and expose corruption," she added.
A day earlier, police in Nur-Sultan, the capital, stopped a vehicle with four rights activists who were on their way to Atyrau, where they also planned to see Boqaev at the moment of his release. Police then impounded the vehicle, citing an unspecified investigation.
The 48-year-old activist Boqaev was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison on extremism charges in 2016 after he organized unsanctioned protests against land reform in Atyrau. While serving his term, Boqaev refused to ask for clemency, insisting that the case against him was politically motivated.
The United States, the European Union, and the United Nations have urged Kazakh authorities to release Boqaev.
Human rights organizations in Kazakhstan have recognized Boqaev as a political prisoner. Kazakhstan's government has insisted that there are no political prisoners in the country.
- Impact of Event
- 5
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment, Restrictions on Movement
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of movement, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker, Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 9, 2021
- Country
- Pakistan
- Initial Date
- Feb 1, 2021
- Event Description
On 1 February 2020, the Peshawar High Court dismissed human rights defender Idris Khattak's petition challenging the jurisdiction of the Field General Court-Martial on his case. The verdict means that the human rights defender’s trial, which was paused in the Military Court, will now resume. While Pakistan is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the military courts have not met their obligations under ICCPR, with the right to a public hearing not guaranteed, the death penalty being handed out after unfair trials and the absence of right to appeal to civilian courts.
The human rights defender was forcibly disappeared on 13 November 2019. His whereabouts were not known until 17 June 2020, when the Joint Investigation Tribunal in Islamabad, tasked with inquiring into cases of enforced disappearance, informed the human rights defender’s family that he was being held by the Pakistan Military Intelligence and was being tried under the Official Secrets Act, 1923.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to fair trial
- HRD
- Community-based HRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Related Events
- Pakistan: Rights activist abducted by unidentified men
- Date added
- Feb 9, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Feb 1, 2021
- Event Description
LGBTQ rights activist Nada Chiyajit says she has received threats of violence and transphobic messages after she gave legal assistant to a young transwoman who was allegedly blackmailed by a reporter.
Nada said that she was contacted by the Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand (RSAT) on 27 January, about the case of “Looknoo” (pseudonym), a transwoman in Loei who was on local news after she ate at a shabu shabu restaurant and did not pay.
On 27 January, the RSAT contacted Nada saying that Looknoo was being threatened by a man claiming to be a reporter seeking an interview. At that point the incident with the restaurant was already settled, as Looknoo had apologized to the owner and paid what she owed. Looknoo therefore refused to be interviewed. She also felt her family has been affected enough by what happened.
ลงโฆษณากับประชาไท ประชาไท Nada said that the man threatened Looknoo and tried to blackmail her into giving an interview, telling her that he knows about money she owes 16 people as a result of mistakes in managing her business, and that she owes money to the hotel she was staying at. The man told Looknoo that he will publish the story if she does not let him interview her and let him coordinate the settlement between her and the people she owes money to.
He also found out her personal details, contacted her family, and waited in front of her house. Looknoo started recording her phone calls with him out of fear that she would face further threats. She then asked the RSAT for legal assistance and travelled to Bangkok to meet Nada, who is a legal advisor.
Nada said she called the man and spoke to him. At first, he claimed to be working for many news agencies and did not give her his full name, but when Nada pressed further, he claimed to be from Thairath TV.
Nada said she does not understand why the reporter was so intent on getting an interview with Looknoo, as the incident with the restaurant has already been settled, and the other disputes can be settled via legal means. She said that, during the phone call, he was very angry that he was refused the interview and told her not to interfere. Nada said the man said to her "I drove 300 km there. She can't refuse to let me interview her. Who am I? Who is this katoey? She's a liar. If I publish this information, she might even die."
Nada also spoke to Looknoo’s mother, who said that she paid for Looknoo to stay at the hotel because Looknoo’s stepfather has beaten her for being transgender, and that she has always paid the hotel bill until the family began facing issues due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the family is already in the process of settling the debt. Looknoo’s mother also said that Looknoo started her business at 19 because she felt the need to prove herself in order to be accepted by her own family, but the business failed, leaving her in debt.
On 1 February, both Nada and Looknoo received threatening and transphobic messages from two Facebook accounts, which also included death threats and demands that Looknoo delete the recordings of the phone calls.
The messages Looknoo received said “if the recordings get out, you’ll be in the ground” and “do you want to be in a well?” as well as “I fucking hate katoeys. When will you all be gone?” Meanwhile, one of the message Nada received said “don’t mess with my business and act like a good person helping people if you don’t want to be like that katoey.” This caused concerns for Nada as she read the message to mean that she should stop if she doesn’t want to be “in the ground” or “in a well".
Nada believes the messages to be from the reporter, as it contains details of their conversations and the person who sent the messages knows that Looknoo recorded her phone calls with the reporter.
On Thursday morning (4 February), Nada and Looknoo went with a representative from the Rights and Liberties Protection Department to the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD). However, the TCSD said that the case is not covered by the Computer Crimes Act and that they will have to file a police complaint.
Nada said that she and Looknoo will notify the police, and that the Rights and Liberties Protection Department will make arrangements to ensure their safety. She has lodged a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission, and said that they will also file complaints with journalism trade associations, as well as with the management of Thairath TV.
Nada said that this is the first time she has faced threats of violence as an activist, and that she and Looknoo are both very stressed and fear for their safety. She also said that what happened and the stories published about Looknoo have worsened her domestic violence situation.
- Gender of HRD
- LGBTQ+/ Non-Binary, Woman
- Violation
- Death threat, Intimidation and Threats, Online Attack and Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- SOGI rights
- HRD
- SOGI rights defender
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Unknown
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 9, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Feb 2, 2021
- Event Description
Authorities in the central Chinese province of Henan have struck off a human rights lawyer after he tried to represent one of the 12 Hong Kong protesters detained by the China Coast Guard as they tried to flee to the democratic island of Taiwan.
Ren Quanniu received a notice from the Henan provincial bureau of judicial affairs on Tuesday informing him that his license to practice had been revoked on the grounds that he "used a cult to undermine the law" in November 2018.
The letter said Ren had "seriously damaged the image of the legal profession" after he defended a member of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement, which has been designated an "evil cult" by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Ren said he didn't believe the reason stated in the letter was the main factor behind the decision, however.
"One factor was my involvement in the Hong Kong 12 case, which was much deeper [than in the other case]," he told RFA on Tuesday. "The other was [my defense of citizen journalist] Zhang Zhan."
"I gave a lot of media interviews about those two cases, so I think they are more likely to have been the main reasons," Ren said.
Authorities in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan have already suspended the license of fellow rights attorney Lu Siwei, citing his public comments on the case of the 12 Hong Kong activists detained at sea in August 2020.
'Inappropriate remarks'
Judicial authorities in Sichuan's provincial capital Chengdu moved on Jan. 4 to strike Lu off, alleging that he made "inappropriate remarks" in public about the case, thereby "breaking Chinese law and professional guidelines for lawyers."
None of the attorneys hired by the families of the 12 detainees was allowed to see their clients, who had lawyers appointed for them by the local government instead.
Ren also defended Zhang Zhan, who was sentenced to four years' imprisonment in December 2020 for posting reports from Wuhan during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the city.
She was found guilty of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," a charge frequently used to target critics of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), on the basis that she had published "false information" about the pandemic on social media sites.
Ren had given media interviews detailing her physical condition as she engaged in a hunger strike in protest at her treatment.
No regrets
Ren, who is now effectively barred from working as a lawyer in China, said he has no regrets, however.
"I think that rights lawyers in mainland China should stand with the people of Hong Kong, even if it means that they wind up losing their licenses," Ren said. "Hong Kong people have always been at the forefront of Chinese people's hopes for their own society."
"So many paid a heavy price and were arrested, and the [authorities'] persecution [of activists] has been pretty serious," he said. "I had no hesitation [in taking the case] and felt we should do our best to help them."
Hong Kong rights lawyer Albert Ho, who heads the Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, said the suspension of Lu and Ren's licenses are the latest in a long litany of actions taken by the CCP against human rights lawyers in China, starting with a nationwide police operation in July 2015.
"If lawyers have no protection for their own rights, then how can they defend their clients' rights?" Ho said. "How does one defend disadvantaged groups who have no legal knowledge at all?"
"Things are moving towards a state of lawlessness [in China], slowly inching back towards the Cultural Revolution," he said, in a reference to an era of political violence and social turmoil from 1966 to 1976 under late supreme leader Mao Zedong and the Gang of Four.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Administrative Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to work
- HRD
- Lawyer
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 3, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Jan 28, 2021
- Event Description
The police have filed a case against seven people, including Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, for allegedly “misreporting” and “spreading disharmony” during the clashes between the police and the protesting farmers on Republic Day.
The FIR was filed on Thursday night by Gurugram Police on the basis of a complaint by Jharsa resident Pankaj Singh (34), who works with a private company. The police said the complainant has accused Tharoor, Sardesai and five other journalists of spreading “false and misleading information”.
Karan Goel, assistant commissioner of police (DLF), said that the police would probe the complaint that the suspects had spread fake news accusing the Delhi police of the murder of a person who was driving tractor during the riot in the Capital on Republic Day. “Gurugram Police has begun an investigation into the matter,” said Goel.
On Tuesday, thousands of protesting farmers had clashed with the police during the tractor rally called by farmer unions to highlight their demand for repeal of the Centre’s three farm laws.
A case under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 124A (sedition), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), 153-B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered at the Cyber police station of Gurugram.
“I filed a complaint with the Gururgam Police on Thursday and attached the social media posts from the suspects Twitter handles. I was deeply aggrieved by widespread riots on Republic Day in the national Capital,” said Singh. “I am a middle-class person with no political affiliation,” he further added.
The journalists named in the FIRs are Rajdeep Sardesai, Mrinal Pande, Vinod Jose, Zafar Agha, Paresh Nath and Anant Nath. The Editors Guild of India has condemned filing of police cases against them.
"The journalists have been specifically targeted for reporting the accounts pertaining to the death of one of the protestors on their personal social media handles as well as those of the publications they lead and represent. It must be noted that on the day of the protest and high action, several reports were emerging from eyewitnesses on the ground as well as from the police, and therefore it was only natural for journalists to report all the details as they emerged. This is in line with established norms of journalistic practice," the Editors Guild said in a statement.
- Impact of Event
- 6
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Offline
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 3, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Jan 30, 2021
- Event Description
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday filed a first information report against The Wire’s Founding Editor Siddharth Varadarajan for tweeting an article published on the news website reporting that the farmer who was killed during a tractor rally on Republic Day had died in police firing.
The article, published on Friday, cited the family of Navreet Singh. They rejected the Delhi Police’s claims that the farmer had died after his tractor overturned. The family has alleged that the man was shot.
A case under Indian Penal Code Sections 153-B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration) and 505(2) (statements conducing to public mischief) has been filed in the state’s Rampur district. The FIR was filed on a complaint by one Sanju Turaha, a resident of Rampur district, according to The Print.
The FIR referred to Varadarajan’s tweet from Saturday in which he shared The Wire’s article. It stated that report was presented in a manner which made it seem like the doctor, who conducted the autopsy of the farmer, had confirmed that he died of a bullet injury, reported The Print.
“As a result, Rampur’s people have become resentful, and tension has increased,” it added. “This post certainly seems to be a part of a conspiracy to incite violence with the aim of making an unfair profit by harming the general public.”
In the article, Hardeep Singh Dibdiba, Navreet Singh’s grandfather, claimed that one of the doctors told him about a bullet wound. “We were told by the doctor that they have clearly seen the bullet injury, and then we cremated his body peacefully,” Dibdiba was quoted as saying by The Wire. “But we were cheated, as the [postmortem] report that came out did not say that. The doctor even told me that even though he had seen the bullet injury, he can do nothing as his hands are tied.”
However, the doctors have refuted this. The postmortem analysis, done on January 27 at 2 pm, said that the “cause of death is shock and haemorrhage as a result of ante-mortem head injury”. The Delhi Police has also claimed that this was the cause of death. The Rampur district magistrate also clarified that no other official statement was made from the side of the authorities.
The Wire’s report had included these statements by the police and doctors rejecting the family’s claims.
However, the FIR alleged that the article had wrongly quoted the government medical officer in order to “incite” the general public, reported The Print.
It said that Singh’s postmortem was conducted by three panel doctors and was duly videographed. It added that all the three doctors have denied giving any such statement to anybody. “Despite this, the tweet has not been removed yet,” the FIR stated, adding that post was intended to “disturb peace and law and order” by “intentionally posting provocative posts through social media- Twitter without knowing the right facts”. Rampur DM had tweeted the article could cause ‘law and order problem’
On Saturday evening, the Rampur district magistrate responded to Varadarajan’s tweet sharing the article. “We ardently request you to please let’s be sticking to facts and facts only,” he wrote. “We hope our request will be sincerely taken up by you.”
The district magistrate also attached a denial note by the three government medical officers who conducted the postmortem, claiming that none of them had spoken to anybody from the media, or made any statement about the autopsy.
In response, Varadarajan informed the DM that The Wire report had been updated to include the official declaration by the three doctors. To this, the DM responded, “Hope you understand your story could cause a law and order problem here. It has already caused tensed situation here. Responsibility?”
Meanwhile, Varadarajan on Sunday morning reacted to the FIR registered against him. “What’s the IPC [Indian Penal Code] provision for ‘malicious prosecution’,” he asked. “Here is the UP Police indulging in it, filing an FIR against me for tweeting about what the grandfather of farmer who was killed in the tractor parade had said on the record!”
In a separate tweet, the journalist wrote: “In UP, it is a crime for media to report statements of relatives of a dead person if they question a postmortem or police version of cause of death.”
Several states have registered cases against journalists who have reported on the death of the farmer on January 26. The Editors Guild of India has described the action as a concerted attempt to “stifle and harass” media.
The Delhi Police on Saturday became the fifth one to file a case against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and six journalists for allegedly sharing unverified news about Singh’s death.
Besides Tharoor, the police named India Today journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, National Herald’s senior consulting editor Mrinal Pande, Qaumi Awaz editor Zafar Agha, The Caravan magazine’s editor and founder Paresh Nath, The Caravan editor Anant Nath and its executive editor Vinod K Jose.
The Uttar Pradesh Police was the first to file an FIR against the seven in Noida that includes charges of sedition, followed by a similar case filed by the police in Madhya Pradesh. Other FIRs were registered in Gurugram and Bengaluru on Friday, and in Noida on Thursday. Farm law protests
Tens of thousands of farmers have been camped on the edge of New Delhi for over two months, seeking the repeal of agricultural laws passed in September. The protests had largely been peaceful but violence erupted on January 26, when a tractor rally planned to coincide with Republic Day celebrations turned chaotic.
Some protestors broke through barricades and poured into the city, clashing with the police that tried to push them back with tear gas and a baton charge. Besides the death of one protestor, several others, including 300 Delhi Police personnel were also wounded.
The Delhi Police said on Saturday that 84 people have been arrested and 38 first information reports filed so far in connection with the violence.
Several farmer leaders, including Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav and Bharatiya Kisan Union’s Haryana unit President Gurnam Singh Chaduni, were named in one of the FIRs filed by the police.
The police have alleged that farmer leaders made inflammatory speeches, and were involved in the violence during the tractor parade. Farmers have denied the allegations and blamed “antisocial elements” for the chaos.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 3, 2021
- Country
- Bangladesh
- Initial Date
- Feb 1, 2021
- Event Description
A local journalist in Sunamganj, Kamal Hossain, was beaten up and tied to a tree for taking pictures of illegal sand extraction from the bank of a river in Tahirpur upazila of Sunamganj. His face, head, forehead and other parts of his body were severely wounded. The incident took place at noon, Monday, in Ghagtia of Jadukata river in Badaghat union of Tahirpur upazila.
Kamal Hossain is currently undergoing treatment at Tahirpur upazila health complex. He is the Tahirpur upazila correspondent of Daily Sangbad and Daily Shubho Pratidin published from Sylhet.
This Prothom Alo correspondent received a copy of the video of Kamal Hossain being tortured. The video shows him crying out while tied to a tree. He was surrounded by several people and blood was dripping from his forehead. He was begging in the name of Allah to loosen the knot around his wrists, but the people around him were laughing.
Sunamganj district correspondent of Sangbad, Latifur Rahman, said Kamal Hossain worked for several local dailies including Sangbad. Latifur Rahman was looking into the reasons behind the incident.
Talking to the police, family members and the locals, it was revealed that Kamal Hossain went to the area to collect information regarding the illegal sand extraction from the banks of the Jadukata river. he took photographs of the river banks being excavated. Some people reportedly grabbed him and started to beat him up. Kamal was severely injured. Later, the people took him to the nearby Chawkbazar area where they tied him to a tree with a rope. At around 2:30pm, on hearing the news, another local journalist and the family members of Kamal Hossain went to the place with the police from Badaghat police outpost. He was rescued and admitted to Tahirpur upazila health complex.
While undergoing treatment at the health complex, the victim told Prothom Alo over the phone that he took some pictures of extracting sand from the river. Later, he was talking to the locals at a nearby shop. Then Mahmudul Islam, Deen Islam and Rais Uddin of Ghagtia village came and started to beat him up indiscriminately. They struck him with a cleaver ('da') on his forehead. Later, he was tied to a tree.
Kamal Hossain said that while beating him up, the people said the sand extraction was always stopped whenever journalists reported about this and so they would kill him. They will manage the consequences later, they said. They also took away his camera and mobile phone.
Mahmud Ali Shah of Ghagtia village said, the sand extraction from the river is officially closed. However the poor people and day labourers of the area make a living by collecting sand with baskets. He claimed that Kamal went there and demanded Tk 30,000 from the people involved in sand extraction. He said he will manage the police and the administration. Kamal even said the people that they will not be able to do this works without giving him the money. At one stage of the argument, the workers beat him up.
Mahmudul Islam, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Badaghat police outpost in Tahirpur upazila, said that on hearing the news police rushed to the spot and rescued Kamal Hossain. Later he was handed over to his family. Police will investigate the incident and try to find the reason behind this.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Death threat, Intimidation and Threats, Torture, Violence (physical), Wounds and Injuries
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Non-state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 3, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Jan 26, 2021
- Event Description
Several journalists from Indian media group iTV were threatened, heckled and physically assaulted by unidentified assailants during a Republic Day tractor rally in New Delhi on January 26. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Indian affiliate the National Union of Journalists – India (NUJ-I) condemn the attacks.
Aishwarya Jain, Ajit Shrivastava, Priya Singh and Aditya Nair, working for the iTV-owned NewsX and India News outlets, suffered verbal abuse, pelting with stones and intimidation during the rally by members of the crowd. Jain was caught and beaten while Shrivastava was thrashed with sticks.
Thousands of farmers, protesting controversial agricultural reforms, stormed New Delhi’s historic Red Fort in a convoy of tractors, horses and foot protesters. They called for the removal new laws that will greatly reduce the earnings of small farmers and favour large corporate farms. Despite calls for a peaceful protest, demonstrators clashed with police and breached barricades, shouting slogans denouncing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘black laws’.
The News Broadcasters Federation (NBF) condemned the attack, expressing “deep concern and anguish” at the threats to media personnel during the rally and called for the arrest of the assailants. ITV network also appealed to authorities to take action to ensure “free, fair and fearless journalism thrives in India and no journalists threatened and intimidated for simply doing their duty.”
India remains a dangerous nation for media workers with Indian journalists often targeted for their reporting on land and gang disputes. According to IFJ documentation, eight Indian journalists were killed in deliberate attacks during 2020, with many more suffering violence and abuse.
NUJ-I president, Ras Bihari, said: “In addition to the attack to journalists, many female journalists have complained of molestation and misbehavior during the protest. NUJ (I) condemns the attack and demands immediate arrest of the persons responsible for it.”
NUJ (I) said it will file complaints to the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister and the Press Council of India regarding the misconduct.
The IFJ said: “This latest incident in New Delhi, along with the escalating frequency of journalist attacks in India, highlights the dire situation of press freedom in India. This verbal and physical assault of journalists must be met with swift prosecution of all perpetrators.”
- Impact of Event
- 4
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community), Woman
- Violation
- Gender Based Harassment, Intimidation and Threats, Sexual Violence, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Media Worker, WHRD
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Non-state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 2, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Jan 16, 2021
- Event Description
On January 16, 10 minutes prior to boarding a high-speed train (D2655) to visit the parents of Lawyer Chang Weiping (their client), two human rights lawyers Chen Keyun and Xie Yang disappeared. Recently, Lawyer Chang's parents had demonstrated against Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials' secretive imprisonment and torture of their son.
At 11:15 am, January 16 (Beijing time), human rights lawyer Xie Yang texted his location to Chen Guiqiu, his wife: Xi’an North Station. At approximately 10 pm, when Ms. Chen phoned both Lawyer Xie and Lawyer Chen, the calls did not go through. She also phoned Mr. Xiang Xianhong a security agent in charge of Lawyer Chang’s case but he did not answer her call. Around 11 pm, Ms. Chen phoned three other security agents in Changsha, Hunan Province (Mr. Li Kewei, Mr. Li Yang, and Mr. Peng Jinsong). Although the phone calls got through to these lawyers in charge of Lawyer Xie Yang’s case, none of them answered.
Ms. Chen did not receive any information about Lawyer Xie until 6 am January 17. At that time, she learned that Lawyer Xie and Lawyer Chen Keyun had been missing for more than 22 hours.
ChinaAid strongly urges Shaanxi police: “Conform to China’s rule of law and the United Nation’s articles concerning human rights. Stop blatantly infringing on the personal rights of Lawyer Xie Yang and Lawyer Chen Keyun.
Hunan rights lawyer Xie Yang, who recently tried to visit Baoji to support Chang's family, told RFA: "We found out from Chang Weiping's wife that his parents are now under close surveillance, and that the authorities have installed CCTV cameras at the door [of their home]."
Xie said he boarded a high-speed train to Baoji along with fellow lawyer Chen Keyun, but was intercepted by state security police at the provincial capital, Xi'an, where he needed to change trains.
"No sooner had I gotten off the train than I ran into a bunch of people," Xie told RFA in a recent interview. "They claimed it was to do with the pandemic, because my health code didn't scan properly, and that I should cooperate with their investigation."
"But those people didn't look like pandemic prevention types to me; they were state security police from [the provincial capital of] Xi'an," he said. "I told them that they knew perfectly well who I was, and that I knew perfectly well who they were."
The police forced Xie and Chen to leave the high-speed rail station, confiscated their phones and ID cards, and took them to a hotel, where they were held in separate rooms.
They were told they wouldn't be allowed to continue to Baoji, and stability maintenance personnel, or "interceptors," from their hometowns of Changsha and Guangzhou were summoned to escort them back home again.
On returning to Changsha, Xie was placed under house arrest.
"They don't want this information to reach the outside world," Xie said. "There have been rumors going around that [Chang Weiping's parents] have now been detained, but ... nobody can get anywhere near [their home]."
"They are so worried that we will expose the truth," he said. "Maybe they are also worried that we might encourage more supporters to gather."
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Intimidation and Threats, Judicial Harassment, Restrictions on Movement, Surveillance
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of movement, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security, Right to privacy
- HRD
- Lawyer
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Related Events
- China: prominent lawyer arrested, held incommunicado
- Date added
- Feb 1, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Jan 28, 2021
- Event Description
The national bar association on Thursday defended its decision to set up an investigation into whether one of its members, attorney and pro-democracy activist Arnon Nampha, has breached its code of conduct.
A spokesman for the Lawyers Council of Thailand Under Royal Patronage said a three-man committee was convened on Jan. 13 in response to a complaint it received from an assistant to the Prime Minister’s Office. The petition accused Arnon of “inciting hatred” toward the monarchy by leading a protest back in August.
“Article 18 of our Behavior Code says if there’s any action that may damage the professional reputation, we can investigate it,” committee spokesman Panya Jarumas said by phone.
Panya believes the inquiry will conclude about a month after Arnon submitted his written defense.
Article 18 of the Lawyer Council’s Behaviour Code stated that lawyers and attorneys of law must not “conduct themselves in violation of the good morals, or damage the dignity and reputation of the lawyer profession.”
The complaint against Arnon was submitted by Apiwat Kanthong, attorney and assistant to PM Office Minister Anucha Nakasai, urging the lawyer council to punish Arnon for his role in leading a protest against the government on Aug. 3.
Part of the complaint, dated Aug. 7, said Arnon “violated the revered and inviolable institution of the monarchy, which is beloved by all Thais, through his speeches. He distorted facts, insulted, slandered, incited unrest, and caused damages and hatred toward the monarchy with an aim to sow division within the country.”
Arnon was one of the organizers of a Harry Potter-themed rally on Ratchadamnoen Avenue on that day, where he urged demonstrators to “break the ceiling” and insist on reforms of the monarchy – surprising many onlookers.
His plea was later taken up by the main body of the student-led protesters, and monarchy reforms became one of three key goals sought by the movement.
Panya said punishment for breaching the council’s code of conduct varies, from suspension of attorney’s license for five years to probation and verbal warning.
“We don’t even know yet what the level of the punishment would be,” Panya said, while stressing that Arnon is considered innocent until proven guilty by the committee.
Arnon said on the phone Thursday he will submit a written defense statement within the next 15 days, adding that he is not particularly concerned by the news.
“The process is not complicated,” the 36-year-old activist and lawyer said. “I’m not worried, because the lawyer profession hasn’t really made much money for me anyway.”
Asked what he would feel if he’s found guilty and stripped of his license, Arnon replied, “That’d be a pity, because I wouldn’t be able to help poor people and the ordinary citizens.”
Koreeyor Manuchae, chairwoman of the Human Rights Lawyers Association, said she submitted a petition urging the Lawyers Council not to take up the complaint against Arnon, but to no avail.
The attorney said she’s concerned that the probe may become politicized.
“Arnon is already under the spotlight,” Koreeyor said. “It might also affect the Lawyers Council’s standing … I think the Lawyers Council shouldn’t have accepted this matter for consideration in the first place. What Arnon did was within the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.”
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Administrative Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to work
- HRD
- Lawyer, Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Related Events
- Thailand: pro-democracy activist and lawyer arrested again in connection to his role on recent demonstrations
- Date added
- Feb 1, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Jan 28, 2021
- Event Description
Three high school activists, the youngest of them 16, were indicted Thursday for their roles in organizing an anti-government protest in October.
Leaders of the “Bad Students” education reform group Laponpat “Min” Wangpaisit, 18, Benjamaporn “Ploy” Nivas, 16, as well as activist Khanaphot “Phoom” Yaemsanguansak, 16, appeared at the Central Juvenile and Family Court on Thursday afternoon. They were charged with breaching the Emergency Decree’s ban on gatherings.
They were later released without having to post any bail, since they were not deemed a flight risk.
“We will deny all the allegations,” Laponpat said before entering the court. “We’re disappointed to see those in power trying to prosecute us, but we will continue to fight for justice. We hope other students will join our fight as well.”
The defendants stand accused of violating the Emergency Decree for organizing an anti-government rally at Ratchaprasong Intersection on Oct. 15. At least three other adults, which include Free People leader Tattep Ruangprapakitseree, were also charged with the same offense.
The government imposed the State of Severe Emergency at the time, permitting the authorities to ban public gatherings of more than five people. The special law, which also empowers authorities to censor media deemed to cause unrest, was revoked a few days later, on Oct. 22.
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights attorney Koomklao Songsomboon, who represented the defendants, said the student activists are due to appear before the court again in April.
“The youths were exercising their rights under the Constitution. They were calling for an education reform, which shouldn’t be unlawful,” Koomklao said. “The prosecution of the youths is against the international convention on children’s rights as well.”
If found guilty, they face up to two years in juvenile detention center and a maximum fine of 40,000 baht.
“The prosecution is almost the same as adults,” Koomklao said.
At least six youths were charged for their roles in the protest. In December, a 16-year-old boy was charged with royal defamation for allegedly mocking the monarchy by wearing a crop-top.
- Impact of Event
- 3
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- #COVID-19, Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Student, Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Feb 1, 2021
- Country
- Singapore
- Initial Date
- Jan 26, 2021
- Event Description
Three people were arrested for taking part in a public assembly without a permit outside the Ministry of Education (MOE) headquarters in Buona Vista on Tuesday (Jan 26), police said in a statement.
The police added that the trio, whom they did not name but said were aged between 19 and 32, were released on bail at about 10pm.
Investigations are ongoing.
The three were among a group of five people who allegedly staged a protest outside the building at about 5pm on Tuesday, carrying placards stating "#FIX SCHOOLS NOT STUDENTS", "WHY ARE WE NOT IN YOUR SEX ED", "HOW CAN WE GET A's WHEN YOUR CARE FOR US IS AN F", "trans students will NOT be erased" and "trans students deserve access to HEALTHCARE & SUPPORT".
The police said that when officers arrived at the scene, only three individuals remained.
They have been identified by activists as Elijah Tay, Lune Loh and Kokila Annamalai.
They were warned to cease their activities, as they were liable for an offence, but they ignored the police's warning and continued with their activities, police said.
"The group was then issued with a 'Move-on' direction under Section 36 of the Public Order Act and were told that they would be arrested if they failed to adhere to the direction," said the police.
"The three refused to comply despite the police's repeated warnings, and were arrested under the Public Order Act at around 5.35pm," police added.
They said that five placards, two multi-coloured flags and a blue bag were seized in relation to the case.
The protesters had, at around the time of their gathering, issued a statement to the media saying they were a group of students and supporters calling on MOE to end discrimination against LGBTQ - lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer - students in schools, adding that it is a longstanding issue.
The protest comes after a transgender pre-university student diagnosed with gender dysphoria said in a Reddit post this month that the MOE had blocked her from getting hormonal treatment.
The MOE had said this was not true, as it was not in a position to interfere with any medical treatment, which is a matter for the student's family to decide on.
In their statement, the police said that organising or participating in a public assembly without a police permit is illegal and constitutes an offence under the Public Order Act.
- Impact of Event
- 3
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to Protest
- HRD
- SOGI rights defender, Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 1, 2021
- Country
- Malaysia
- Initial Date
- Jan 25, 2021
- Event Description
Zulkiflee Anwar Alhaque, the famous Malaysian cartoonist better known as Zunar, is again facing prosecution over a cartoon criticizing a politician. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for the withdrawal of the latest complaint against Zunar and for an end to the use of Malaysia’s sedition law to silence those who criticize the authorities.
Zunar is facing a possible three-year jail term in the action brought against him on 25 January by an ally of the prime minister of the northwestern state of Kedah. It was prompted by a cartoon published on Zunar’s Twitter account that morning criticizing the prime minister’s decision to cancel this year’s celebration of Thaipusam, a Hindu religious festival that the Tamil community normally observes on 28 January.
The cartoon shows the prime minister slamming a cleaver (bearing the words “No Thaipusam”) down on a table around which representatives of Malaysia’s various ethnic groups had been seated. A caption above them says: “Kedah’s inhabitants lived in peace until he came.”
The president of the youth wing of the Malaysian Islamic Party, which support’s the state’s prime minster, initiated the defamation proceedings against Zunar with the aim, he said, “of giving a lesson to all those who think everything can be arbitrarily politicized.”
The complaint accuses Zunar of violating the sedition law, which penalizes “a tendency to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against any ruler or against any government.” When reached by RSF, Zunar said he feared getting a call or visit from the police at any time.
Symbol
“It is unacceptable for a cartoonist to be prosecuted over nothing more than a cartoon that annoyed someone,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk. “The right to criticize is the very essence of cartoons. We call on prosecutors to immediately drop these absurd charges against Zunar. Malaysia’s leaders must stop abusing the sedition law to suppress freedom of expression.”
Zunar, who was awarded the Cartooning for Peace Prize in 2016, has become a symbol of press freedom in Malaysia. The authorities have repeatedly used the sedition law against him, resulting in his imprisonment in 2010 and 2015. He was arrested again under the sedition law in 2016 because of cartoons about government corruption. During a sale of his books a few days later, the police arrested him yet again and confiscated material worth more than 20,000 dollars.
Malaysia is ranked 101st out of 180 countries in RSF's 2020 World Press Freedom Index, 22 places higher than in 2019, but could fall again as a result of the more draconian policies now being pursued by the authorities.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Artist
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 1, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Jan 28, 2021
- Event Description
Rights groups and activists at home and abroad Friday denounced China for barring a prominent Chinese democracy and rights activist from leaving for the United States to care for his cancer-stricken wife.
They called the action “inhuman” and said China is a “fascist” state because the activist, Guo Feixiong, is a free man and the communist government has no right to restrict his travel.
Guo launched a hunger strike Thursday to protest after he was stopped at the Shanghai airport.
“I now begin my hunger strike indefinitely at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport. The customs have officially barred me from leaving the country on suspicion of endangering national security. I urge all the Chinese people and governments around the world to help me,” Guo wrote in a short message to VOA Thursday night, saying that he was being seized by two police officers at customs.
A brutal action
“What a brutal action by the state police and the customs,” he added.
Guo, 54, has since been unreachable, with his whereabouts unknown.
The public security bureau in Shanghai said Friday that it is unable to handle VOA’s inquiry as it is uncertain which unit made the arrest.
Prior to his departure from Guangzhou in south China’s Guangdong province, Guo told VOA he is determined to join his wife, who is in the U.S. and about to begin months of chemotherapy after her cancerous colon tumors were removed during surgery earlier this month.
“I will only stop my hunger strike the minute I’m allowed to board the plane. My life will apparently hang in the hands of the state police if you’re unable to reach me at my cellphone [later]… The [police’s] move is extremely inhuman, and they have to be held legally and morally responsible for my hunger strike,” Guo told VOA a day before his planned flights Thursday.
According to Guo, local police in Guangzhou had warned him on Tuesday about attempting to travel to the U.S. They said that his travel plan was vetoed at the last minute by their higher-ups in the Ministry of Public Security, even though Guo has legally obtained all necessary travel permits from local authorities, including proof of a negative COVID-19 test. The ministry also threatened to send police to intercept him if he made it to the airport in Shanghai on Thursday, he added.
Some kind of agreement
The local police, in addition, demanded that Guo fly to his birthplace in Hubei province and talk with public security officers there to reach “some kind of agreement” – a request Guo said he flatly rejected.
It is widely speculated among Chinese rights lawyers and activists, many of whom are not free to speak, that Chinese authorities want to hold Guo hostage and keep him quiet.
“The police have absolutely no rights to deprive Guo of his freedom to travel. This is outrageous. What harm can dissidents, who travel overseas, do to endanger the regime?” a rights activist surnamed Lee told VOA on condition of anonymity.
Guo, whose real name is Yang Maodong, has been an active rights defender and political dissident since 2005. He had served a total of 11 years in prison on charges such as “picking quarrels and provoking” and “assembling a crowd to disturb order at public places.”
He was last freed from jail in late 2019 after having served a six-year sentence for his participation in a protest against the Guangzhou government’s censorship of a local liberal-leaning publication – the Southern Weekly.
However, Guo remains an outspoken dissident, who has called on Chinese President Xi Jinping to launch political reforms, abide by the country’s constitution and ensure press freedom, while urging the Chinese government to deepen its cooperation with the U.S.
To avoid China’s alleged political persecution, Guo’s wife, Zhang Qing, and their two children fled to the U.S. in 2009 and have been granted political asylum there.
A group of more than 100 dissidents, led by former Tiananmen Square movement leader Wang Dan, signed a petition in support of Guo.
They said, in a press statement, that “given Guo is a free man, China has no rights to keep him from visiting his family overseas whether it is from the legal, human rights or humanitarian perspectives. China’s inhuman move has proved again that its regime is increasingly fascist.”
“We called on western governments to help Guo facilitate his trip through diplomatic avenues,” the statement read.
In particular, Wu’er Kaixi, another Tiananmen student leader who also signed the petition, called on U.S. President Joe Biden and his administration to extend a helping hand to Guo.
Calls on U.S. to take action
“President Biden has and [Secretary of State] Mr. [Antony] Blinken has also strongly reiterated their stance against China, based on values, … We want to see action following [their] very well-said statement. And we want to see action to help Guo Feixiong and that action will ratify those statements,” Wu’er told VOA.
The former Tiananmen activist, who now lives in Taipei, said that many in Taiwan are also “outraged” about China’s disapproval of Guo’s travel – a move he said “was against the minds and hearts of all mankind.”
Several other rights groups, including the Hong Kong-based China Human Rights Lawyers Concerned Group, the U.S.-based Human Rights Lawyers of China and the Taipei-based New School for Democracy, all denounced China’s restriction on Guo’s ability to travel freely.
The restriction “is inhuman and it is also a reprisal to legal activists in China,” Du Song of the Hong Kong-based rights group said in a written reply to VOA, urging China to quickly reverse its decision.
In a press statement, the U.S.-based rights group expressed concern over Guo’s health.
“We’re deeply concerned about his health and life after he has staged another indefinite hunger strike. Guo was once on hunger strike in 2014 for a long time, which had taken a toll on his physical condition… We urge all relevant bodies [in China] to reconsider and soon greenlight his trip to take care of his wife in the U.S.” its statement read.
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment, Restrictions on Movement, Travel Restriction
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of movement
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 1, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Jan 25, 2021
- Event Description
In a social media statement, Dixit revealed that at around 9pm on January 25, an unidentified person attempted to break into her house in Delhi, fleeing when she shouted and opened the door. The incident follows a series of harassment and intimidation attempts, including threats of rape, acid attack and murder, by an unidentified group since September 2020. According to the statement, Dixit said the threats were entirely related to her role as a journalist. Several mobile numbers and different voices were used to threaten her. She further stated that the stalkers also target her partner.
Dixit received the first telephone threat in September 2020 while at a market. The unknown voice threatened, “Sabzi lay rahi hai na tu. Bada reporter banti hai. Jaan jayegi teri” (translating to “You are buying vegetables, right? You think you are a big shot reporter? You will die.”). The calls have increased in frequency, coming from different unidentified numbers. Dixit has filed a complaint with local police.
Dixit, whose stories have been published in The New York Times, Al-Jazeera, Caravan and The Wire, is known for her ground-breaking investigative stories concerning female trafficking in Assam and gender-based violence against minority women during the Muzaffarnagar riots.
A global survey by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2020 highlights the widespread online abuse, harassment, threats, and attacks suffered by female journalists. In accordance with these findings, there have been many instances of attempted character assassination, doxing (disclosure of personal identifying information) and even threats of physical and sexual violence against female journalists in India.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Gender Based Harassment, Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Unknown
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Unknown
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 1, 2021
- Country
- Kazakhstan
- Initial Date
- Jan 26, 2021
- Event Description
An activist in Kazakhstan's southern region of Turkistan has been handed a parole-like sentence for his links with a banned political masovement.
The Ordabasy district court on January 26 sentenced Qairat Sultanbek to one year of "freedom limitation" after finding him guilty of involvement in the activities of the banned opposition Koshe (Street) Party, which has links with another outlawed party, the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) movement.
The 47-year-old activist told RFE/RL after his sentence was pronounced that he will appeal the ruling, calling it politically motivated.
Sultanbek was placed under house arrest after he was detained and charged in September.
Several activists across the Central Asian nation have been handed "freedom limitation" sentences for their involvement in the activities of the Koshe Party and DVK, and for taking part in rallies organized by the two groups..
DVK is led by Mukhtar Ablyazov, the fugitive former head of Kazakhstan’s BTA Bank and an outspoken critic of the Kazakh government. Kazakh authorities labeled DVK extremist and banned the group in March 2018.
Human rights groups have said that Kazakhstan’s law on public gatherings contradicts international standards as it requires preliminary permission from authorities to hold rallies and envisions prosecution for those organizing and participating in unsanctioned rallies even though the nation’s constitution guarantees its citizens the right of free assembly.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment, Restrictions on Movement
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of association, Freedom of movement, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 1, 2021
- Country
- Kazakhstan
- Initial Date
- Jan 28, 2021
- Event Description
A court in northern Kazakhstan has sentenced an opposition activist to jail and fined two other people for allegedly taking part in an unsanctioned rally.
The administrative court in the city of Kokshetau on January 28 handed a 12-day jail sentence to Aslan Qurmanbaev.
Another activist, Marat Zhanuzaqov, and a local resident, Gaukhar Shakenova, were both fined 87,500 tenges ($205).
The case stems from an unsanctioned rally held in Kokshetau's central square on January 25 by hundreds of people angered by what they called the government’s poor results in the fights against corruption and the coronavirus pandemic.
All three defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Shakenova said she did not participate in the rally but was just a passerby.
Kokshetau is a remote city of 146,000 people located 300 kilometers northwest of Kazakhstan’s capital, Nur-Sultan.
Human rights groups have said Kazakhstan’s law on public gatherings contradicts international standards as it requires preliminary permission from authorities to hold rallies and envisions prosecution for organizing and participating in unsanctioned rallies even though the nation’s constitution guarantees its citizens the right of free assembly.
- Impact of Event
- 3
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community), Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- #COVID-19, Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to liberty and security, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 1, 2021
- Country
- Kazakhstan
- Initial Date
- Jan 29, 2021
- Event Description
A court in Kazakhstan has upheld a three-year parole restriction on Kazakh activist Maks Boqaev upon his expected release from prison on February 4.
The Atyrau City Court in the country's west on January 29 rejected Boqaev's appeal, saying "the hearing did not find grounds to consider that Maks Boqaev's rights and interests had been violated by the lower court's decision."
Boqaev disputed the lower court's January 22 decision to impose restrictions on him after his release next week, calling the move politically motivated.
The 48-year-old activist was arrested and sentenced to five years on extremism charges in 2016 after he organized unsanctioned protests against land reform in Atyrau.
The United States, European Union, and the United Nations have urged Kazakh authorities to release Boqaev.
Human rights organizations in Kazakhstan have recognized Boqaev as a political prisoner. Kazakhstan's government has insisted that there are no political prisoners in the country.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment, Restrictions on Movement
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of movement, Right to fair trial
- HRD
- Land rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Feb 1, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Jan 28, 2021
- Event Description
Authorities in the eastern province of Shandong are preparing to revoke the license of a rights lawyer who was hired to defend fellow rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang, as the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues a nationwide clampdown on the legal profession.
Xi Xiangdong, who had been hired to represent Wang after his detention as part of a crackdown on the profession starting in July 2015, was notified by the Shandong provincial department of justice on Thursday that it will likely revoke his license to practise.
Wang told RFA that the authorities were likely retaliating after Xi spoke out against the mistreatment of his client Chi Shengang, an entrepreneur accused of involvement in organized crime.
"Lawyers like Xi Xiangdong tend to stick to the law when it comes to how lawyers should act, so they are likely anger some people, and suffer retaliation for that," Wang said.
He said the authorities are likely taking issue with Xi's attempts to do his job properly.
"If lawyers [like Xi] try to argue their case in court using reason, they see it as a failure to obey the judge," Wang said. "This gives them the excuse they need to retaliate against the lawyer."
According to the authorities, Xi had repeatedly ignored directions from the judge in the case, repeatedly interrupted judges and prosecutors and interfered with court proceedings.
Repeated calls to Xi's phone rang unanswered on Thursday.
"Everything [in the Chinese justice system] works to the detriment of detainees and defendants," Wang said. "Lawyers are forced to toe the line politically, and they have nowhere to turn for help, and can only rely on public opinion."
"In some cases, this means that they will disclose details of cases," he said.
'The courage to expose and criticize'
Henan-based rights lawyer Ren Quanniu, who also faces the loss of his license to practice, said he supported Xi's actions, because he was speaking out in his client's interest.
"Real lawyers have the courage to expose and criticize [the authorities]," Ren said. "You can't say they should remain silent if their clients are being treated illegally, or are in some kind of danger."
He said he fears the authorities will continue to revoke lawyers' licenses as a way of forcing them into compliance.
"Inside sources say that [the CCP] wants to deal with any lawyers who dare to speak out in public," Ren said. "[Xi] won't be the last to be warned, punished or lose his license ... we may be seeing a new purge."
Xi has the right to file an application for a disciplinary hearing, although such a hearing is unlikely to make much difference to the final outcome, according to rights lawyers.
Xi was initially hired by Wang Quanzhang's wife Li Wenzu to represent her husband following his disappearance in July 2015.
But he was later forced to drop the case after the ministry of justice threatened him with arrest.
Earlier this month, authorities in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan suspended the license of rights attorney Lu Siwei at a disciplinary hearing, citing his public comments on the case of the 12 Hong Kong activists detained at sea in August 2020.
Judicial authorities in Sichuan's provincial capital Chengdu moved on Jan. 4 to strike Lu off, alleging that he made "inappropriate remarks" in public about the case, thereby "breaking Chinese law and professional guidelines for lawyers."
Ren, who was hired to represent one of the Hong Kong 12 but denied access to his client along with the rest of the attorneys hired by the families, will have his disciplinary hearing on Friday.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Administrative Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to work
- HRD
- Lawyer
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 29, 2021
- Country
- Mongolia
- Initial Date
- Oct 22, 2019
- Event Description
Ms Mungunkhun is an environmental and community-based WHRD who lives in TsagaanOvoo District, located in Mongolia’s easternmost Province of Dornod. She is member to a community of herders living in proximity to a mining site owned by Steppe Gold, a publicly-listed Mongolian mining company active in the exploration and extraction of precious metals. Ms Mungunkhun, together with around ten herders and few members of the Tsagaan-Ovoo community, have steadily opposed the mining operations in the area where they and their livestock live, as they deem that such activities would have negative impacts on their livelihoods and the environment.
On 21 August 2018, A group of herders living in Tsagaan-Ovoo District, including Ms Mungunkhun, was holding a protest against Steppe Gold company’s decision to fence an area of pasture land where they used to go with their livestock. Around ten security personnel from a security company hired by Steppe Gold company handcuffed and put to the ground Mr Tuvshinjargal, a herder and HRD who was taking part in the protest, while one security personnel sat on his head. Mr Tuvshinjargal was then beaten up by several other people, which caused his shoulder being fractured.4 When he screamed for help, one of the herders who was joining the protest managed to help him get into a car. The car was then stopped by the security personnel, who hit the window and the body of the car with a blunt object. Ultimately, the car managed to run away and secure Mr Tuvshinjargal in the local police station. After the incident, Mr Tuvshinjargal claimed that he received an anonymous call threatening him to face death if he did not stop what he is doing. While the attack was happening towards Mr Tuvshinjargal, Ms Mungunkhun recorded the incident with her mobile phone. As she was recording, she was grabbed by three security personnel and her mobile phone was snatched from her hand. She managed to retrieve her phone from the hand of the security person and to hide it under her brassiere, then she ran away. However, she was chased by the security personnel, who manhandled her, and then forcefully took away Ms Mungunkhun’s mobile phone from inside her brassiere and started to beat her. Then she was allegedly brought to the security post of Steppe Gold mining company, where Ms Mungunkhun estimated to have been detained for around five hours as a form of “punishment”. During her detention, she was allegedly sexually harassed by the security personnel in the pretext of “locating her mobile phone”, although they already had it in their possession. She was feeling scared and afraid to lose her life while being surrounded by muscular security personnel, and was insecure about calling out for help. Later when she was released, her mobile phone was eventually returned to her, but the video of the beating was deleted by the security personnel.
When this incident happened, Ms Mungunkhun had recently undergone an appendicitis surgery. The physical attack towards her damaged the stitches, and as a result, after the incident she needed to go back hospital to do re-stitching. It is worth to mention that the local doctor refused to issue a medical certificates to the WHRD and the other victims of the attacks for the injures they suffered. The doctor also refused to issue a medical certificate for Ms Mungunkhun’s re-stitching.
On 22 October 2019, Ms Mungunkhun was invited to the press conference held in Ulaanbaatar to launch the report 'Our Land’, released by FORUM-ASIA and CHRD, exposing the results of the fact-finding mission conducted month before, and including the incident affecting Ms Mungunkhun. During the event, the WHRD reported that a person named Unuruu from Steppe Gold just called her and sent her phone text messages saying that “if you want to stand against the mining, protest against it, you should have a very brave heart and have someone behind you to get protection. Otherwise it seems it’s easy to lose your life”. The WHRD added also that she has faced threats and humiliation from Steppe Gold for months.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Death threat, Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, WHRD
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Suspected non-state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Jan 28, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Jan 7, 2021
- Event Description
Seeking an end to house detention of National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) national convenor Richa Singh and withdrawal of notice issued to activist Ramjanam under the Goondas Act, NAPM has said in a statement that the Uttar Pradesh police’s action is “arbitrary”, underlining, “The farmers’ movement cannot be quelled by detaining activists and protestors.” Asking the Uttar Pradesh government to “stop the draconian clampdown on democratic rights” in the state, NAPM said, these incidents are part of “a broader pattern” of stifling “democratic rights of activists and leaders of farmers’ organisations across Uttar Pradesh and in other states of India”, adding, “It reflects a rising trend to suppress voices of dissent and people’s demands, contravening the Supreme Court’s stand that protest is people’s constitutional right.” National Alliance of People’s Movements is deeply agitated at the arbitrary house detention of Richa Singh, founder member of Sangtin Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan, national convenor of NAPM, and a committed activist who has been working with women, workers, dalits and farmers for three decades in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh. The UP police have detained her since the evening of 7th Jan, without an order or appropriate explanation. Circumstances of the house detention of Richa On January 7, Richa Singh was stopped by the police, as she was joining the tractor rally in support of the farmers’ protests, in Sitapur, UP. While she was permitted to join the rally after speaking to the authorities, she was followed by two plainclothes police personnel. On the evening of the same day, she was placed under house arrest and prevented from accessing medical care in Lucknow. The Sitapur kotwal, the City Magistrate and the CO, visited her house but were unwilling to provide more than ambiguous information regarding the reasons for her detention. Lack of clarity regarding reasons for detention In spite of multiple attempts to learn the reason why she has been placed under house arrest, the authorities only indicated that, based on ‘information’ they had received, they suspected she intended to join the farmers’ protests in Delhi. The details of this information have not been shared with her, contravening Richa Singh’s civil rights to be informed of the basis for her house arrest. There also does not seem to be an order for the arrest. The authorities refused to take into account her repeated attempts to indicate that her intention was to visit a doctor in Lucknow, rather than join the farmers’ protests in Delhi. At the same time, participation in the farmers’ protests in itself could not have constituted grounds for house arrest, by any stretch of imagination. Targeted state suppression of protest All these incidents are part of a broader pattern of arbitrary detentions of democratic rights activists and leaders of farmer’s organisations across Uttar Pradesh and in other states of India. It reflects a rising trend to suppress voices of dissent and people’s demands, contravening the Supreme Court’s stand that protest is people’s constitutional right. Leaders and activists from various states, as well as members of the civil society, have been placed under house arrest and prevented from showing solidarity with the farmers’ protests from the beginning of the movement, including from holding local protests and joining the movement in Delhi. While this often takes place in the name of preventing the spread of the Coronavirus, it is in circumstances such as the present house arrest that the actual intention of the authoritarian State to clamp down on dissenting voices becomes clear.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Judicial Harassment, Restrictions on Movement, Surveillance
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Freedom of movement, Offline, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 27, 2021
- Country
- Myanmar
- Initial Date
- Jan 21, 2021
- Event Description
Myanmar authorities should immediately drop criminal defamation and other complaints against four ethnic-Rakhine (Arakanese) journalists, Fortify Rights said today. Last week, on January 22, Myanmar authorities filed criminal defamation complaints against Development Media Group (DMG) journalists Hnin Nwe, 23, and Nay Win San, 26, for publishing a story alleging the military confiscated rice and used forced labor in Rakhine State.
Two other DMG staff members—journalist Aung Kyaw Min, 40, and founder of DMG Aung Marm Oo, 40—are also currently facing criminal charges brought against them by Myanmar authorities in December 2020 and May 2019, respectively.The Sittwe-based DMG is an ethnic-Rakhine-led media outlet reporting on human rights violations and other news in Rakhine State and other parts of the country.
On January 22, Major Phone Myint Kyaw filed a criminal complaint at the No. 2 Police Station in Sittwe Township alleging that journalist Hnin Nwe and Nay Win San, editor-in-charge of the DMG, violated Section 66(d) of Myanmar’s Telecommunications Law. The Myanmar authorities requested the pair to report to the No. 2 Police Station in Sittwe today as part of the police investigation.
The complaints stem from an article DMG published online on January 10 alleging Myanmar military personnel looted 700 baskets of unhusked rice paddy in Kyauktaw Township, Rakhine State on January 7. The report also claims the military forced residents in Kyauktaw Township to mill rice.
Section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law prohibits “extorting, defaming, disturbing or threatening to any person by using any telecommunications network.” Violations carry sentences of up to two years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of up to one million Myanmar Kyat (US$751).
The earlier cases brought by the Myanmar authorities against DMG journalist Aung Kyaw Min and DMG founder Aung Marm Oo remain pending.
Maung Win of the Department of Roads and Bridges Management in Maungdaw Township filed a complaint at the Maungdaw Township Police Station in Rakhine State on December 13, 2020 alleging that Aung Kyaw Min violated Section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law. The allegations stem from an article published on December 11 by DMGthat reported complaints about local government failures to repair a broken bridge in Maungdaw, Rakhine State. The case against Aung Kyaw Min is still under police investigation, and the trial has yet to begin.
Aung Marm Oo, also known as Aung Min Oo, also faces up to five years in prison and a fine after the Special Branch Police, operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs, filed a complaint at the Sittwe Myoma Police Station No. 1 in Rakhine State on May 1, 2019 alleging violations of Section 17/2 of the Unlawful Association Act.
Section 17/2 of the Unlawful Associations Act provides criminal penalties to “Whoever manages or assists in the management of an unlawful association, or promotes or assists in promoting a meeting of any such association, or of any members thereof.”
Aung Marm Oo is currently in hiding.
“I wonder if the military is deliberately imposing various restrictions on DMG, disrupting the media and intimidating journalists and editors,” Aung Marm Oo told Fortify Rights. “I sometimes wonder if the government and the military are deliberately collaborating to impose restrictions on DMG so that we can no longer continue to operate, and so that DMGcannot stand as a news organization.”
In March 2020, the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC) directed telecommunications operators to ban 221 websites, including ethnic media outlets DMG, Narinjara, and Karen News, and several Rohingya-led news sites. The Myanmar government cited no reasons for targeting specific outlets nor did it provide a legal basis for the directive. Section 77 of the Telecommunications Law provides that the MOTC “may, when an emergency situation arises to operate for public interest, direct the licensee to suspend a Telecommunications Service, to intercept, [or] not to operate any specific form of communication . . .”
Aung Marm Oo founded DMG on January 9, 2012, and it was based on the Thailand-Myanmar border before registering in Myanmar and moving to Sittwe and Yangon in January 2014. DTV Daily News Programme and the bi-monthly Development News Journal operate under the DMG. DMG publishes in English and Burmese languages.
Under international law, restrictions on freedom of expression are permissible only when provided by law, proportional, and necessary to accomplish a legitimate aim. Criminal penalties for defamation, including imprisonment, constitute a disproportionate punishment that infringes on the right to freedom of expression.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 26, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Jan 21, 2021
- Event Description
Pro-democracy activist Chonthicha “Kate” Jangrew became the latest person to be charged with defaming the monarchy – an offense that has seemingly turned into a political weapon against government critics.
Speaking on the phone Monday morning before reporting to the police, Chonticha urged the international community to keep up the pressure on the ongoing crackdown under Article 112 of the Criminal Codes, aka lese majeste. As many as 56 people are now charged under the offense in a spate of just three months, her attorney said.
“People around the world are watching the enforcement of Article 112,” the activist said. “The use of the law is embarrassing the Thai government even more. I’d like to invite the international community and organizations to keep a close watch on this matter.”
Chonticha, who led numerous protests against the government in 2020, predicted that more lese majeste complaints would be lodged in the near future against those calling for reforms of the monarchy.
“The cases will just keep rising,” she said. “We also have to question the monarchy, why they let the case number increase.”
The activist said she received the police summons informing her that she was charged with Article 112 on Thursday, but the document did not specify what alleged wrongdoing she might have committed. Chonticha is one of the leaders behind the protest movement that sought to oust PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, draft a more democratic charter, and reform the royal institution.
Lese majeste bans threats or insults made toward the King, Queen, Regent, and Heir Apparent. Violators face up to 15 years in jail, per count.
But the head of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, a group that’s representing lese majeste suspects in court, said police appear to accept any royal defamation complaints against the dissidents regardless of the circumstances.
“We’ve seen that it’s a problem. The police accepted every complaint,” Yaowalak Anuphan said. “We have to question the police. The police claim that they receive the complaint, so they must proceed with it, [but] Article 112 is now a political weapon. It’s very sweeping.”
The attorney also warned such arbitrary and indiscriminate use of lese majeste will eventually erode the public trust in the law enforcement.
“Eventually, Article 112 will become a law without rules,” Yaowalak said.
Police spokesman Col. Kissana Phathanacharoen was not available to comment as of press time Monday.
The use of lese majeste was absent for several years, until it made a return in November, shortly after PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said the authorities would use every available law in the book to punish those accused of insulting His Majesty the King.
Some democracy advocates have been charged with multiple counts of lese majeste, which could land them in lengthy jail terms. For instance, Rayong-based activist Panupong “Mike” Jadnok will hear the seventh lese majeste charge pressed against him later today, his lawyer said.
In Lampang province, five people also reported themselves to police over lese majeste charges, the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Group reports.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Jan 26, 2021
- Country
- Nepal
- Initial Date
- Jan 25, 2021
- Event Description
The KP Sharma Oli administration’s intolerance of dissent and civil liberty was in full display on Monday. Police on Monday afternoon brutally charged members of civil society, who had gathered under the umbrella of Brihat Nagarik Andolan, when they were marching towards Baluwatar to protest against Oli’s decision to dissolve the House on December 20.
In a statement in the evening, Brihat Nagarik Andolan said that the government forcefully led the peaceful protest into a violent clash.
“The police intervention in a peaceful protest shows KP Sharma Oli government’s fearful and suppressive mindset,” reads the statement.
Monday’s demonstration had started from ‘Kamal Pokhari’, which has drawn heritage conservationists’ attention of late because of the authorities’ bid to turn it into a “concrete pond”.
Renowned personalities including writers Narayan Wagle, Khagendra Sangraula, Ujjwal Prasain, Yug Pathak, professor Sanjeev Upreti, activist Rita Shah, social campaigner and orthopaedic surgeon Dr Govinda KC, human rights activist Mohna Ansari, Communist Party of Nepal leader Raghuji Pant and actor Dahayang Rai, among others, led the protest.
But no sooner had the demonstrators reached close to Baluwatar, the official residence of Prime Minister Oli, than police charged batons and used water cannons to disperse them, in what was reminiscent of the days when protesters were assaulted during the 2006 movement, which is dubbed the second Jana Andolan, the first being the 1990 movement.
The 1990 movement ushered in democracy in the country and the second culminated in the abolition of monarchy.
In a video clip by photojournalist Narayan Maharjan of Setopati, an online news portal, Wagle is seen falling down due to the force of the water cannon, and many others being brutally beaten up by police.
“We were holding a peaceful protest. Without prior information, police used force on us,” said Wagle. “This is the beginning of the third Jana Andolan.”
Oli faces charges of behaving as though he is the state, and since dissolving the House, he has been making statements, branding all who criticise him as anti-national forces.
His aversion to civil liberty and peaceful protests had become apparent just after he assumed office, as he had banned protests at Maitighar.
Civil society members and rights defenders have called Oli’s House dissolution move unconstitutional, saying he has committed a fraud on the constitution because it does not allow him to do so.
Despite a dozen writ petitions against his move being heard by the Supreme Court, Oli has been making claims that the court cannot revive the House, in what many say his attempts to influence the judiciary.
“The Oli government has failed to show regard for democrotic norms,” Uprety, the professor, told the Post. “The state is so fearful of its own citizens that it is not even allowing them to speak.”
Earlier on Monday, police had rounded up around two dozen rights defenders from the Baluwatar area for protesting against the House dissolution.
Police, however, said no arrests were made during the civil society protest.
“A few people might have sustained minor injuries but we did not arrest anyone,” said Senior Superintendent Pradeep Kumar Shrestha, also the spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Office, Ranipokhari.
Shrestha defended security personnel’s baton-charge and use of water cannon, saying “minor force” was used as the protesters were attempting to enter the prohibited zone.
“Five protesters and as many security personnel were injured,” said Shrestha. “But all those injured protesters have returned home after receiving treatment at TU Teaching Hospital.”
But the campaigners in their statement said that over a dozen people were injured.
“Six critically injured persons including Nirga Raj Jaishi, Janak Dhungana, Suroj Tamang, Kuldip Sharma, Sunil Shrestha and Govida Bhandari are receiving treatment at TU Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj,” read the statement.
Earlier in June also, police had used force on youths who were demonstrating at Baluwatar against the Oli government’s lacklustre response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Basanta Ranjitkar, one of the coordinators of the Brihat Nagarik Andolan, said Monday’s was a planned attack from the government side.
“A democratic government never behaves in the way the Oli government has done today,” said Rajitkar. “No regime is afraid of the people unless it has committed anything wrong. Since the Oli regime has lost its legitimacy, it is too afraid of the people.”
Police on Monday afternoon detained around two dozen human rights activists and civil society members who had gathered in Baluwatar, Kathmandu to protest against the dissolution of the House of Representatives.
Police said all those detained have been kept at the Nepal Police Club.
- Impact of Event
- 21
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Use of Excessive Force, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 26, 2021
- Country
- Kazakhstan
- Initial Date
- Jan 10, 2021
- Event Description
In Nur-Sultan Azattyk correspondent Saniya Toiken reported facing obstacles from the security forces while covering the detention of civic activists who the police accused of holding an unsanctioned protest against the unfair elections. The police detained the activists and took them in a minibus to the police station. Toiken reported that one police officer forcibly took away her phone, damaging it in the process and deleting several items from its memory before returning it to her.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Judicial Harassment, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 24, 2021
- Country
- Kazakhstan
- Initial Date
- Jan 9, 2021
- Event Description
Togzhan Kozhalieva, leader of the Halyqqa Adal Qyzmet (Service for Justice to People) Movement (HAQ) said that in Shymkent on 9 January law enforcement officials detained HAQ activist Amanulla Ramankulov who had in his possession 600 election observer certificates for members of the movement: 300 for the South Kazakhstan region and 300 for the Kyzylorda region. The certificates were seized and returned later in the day muddled up and it was then impossible to separate them by region. The police reportedly apologised and said that there were no grounds for the arrest.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Administrative Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to work
- HRD
- NGO staff
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 24, 2021
- Country
- Kazakhstan
- Initial Date
- Jan 15, 2021
- Event Description
The ongoing crackdown on local human rights groups casts serious doubt that Kazakhstan’s leadership is genuinely interested in reforms or improving its rights record.
On January 15, tax officials in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, fined and suspended for three months the operations of elections monitoring group Echo. On January 18, officials in Nur-Sultan, the country’s capital, fined the human rights group Erkindik Kanaty. At least four other groups – Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, International Legal Initiative, Legal Media Center, and MediaNet – have been summoned to local tax offices in the coming days. They too are under threat of fines and having their operations suspended.
Kazakh authorities harassing rights groups is, unfortunately, not new. Authorities have an arsenal of restrictive laws and overbroad charges at their disposal to use against activists and groups who do not toe the government line. For example, officials imposed bogus tax audits on three rights groups in 2017 and have repeatedly denied registration to a feminist group in recent years.
But what’s shocking about this latest attack on freedom of association in Kazakhstan is how many groups are being targeted at once and the blatantly unlawful manner in which the authorities’ are acting.
The tax authorities’ claims pertain solely to regulations around how these organizations report the receipt and expenditure of foreign funding to support their activities.
Tax authorities in cities thousands of kilometers apart brought claims against over a dozen rights groups in November 2020, in some cases, years after alleged reporting violations supposedly took place, despite a provision in the law that limits bringing such claims to two months after the alleged violation.
In 2015, when the draft law introducing these burdensome reporting obligations was under consideration, the then-United Nations special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association Maina Kiai warned its adoption may “challenge [associations’] very existence.”
Kazakhstan’s international partners – the European Union and its member states, the United States, and international organizations operating in Kazakhstan – should speak out in support of these respected human rights groups and against the coordinated and unlawful actions of the Kazakh authorities against them. Their future existence could depend on it.
- Impact of Event
- 6
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Administrative Harassment, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to liberty and security, Right to work
- HRD
- NGO
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 24, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Jan 19, 2021
- Event Description
A court in Gujarat’s Kutch district on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant against senior journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta in a defamation suit filed by the Adani Group.
Judicial magistrate Pradeep Soni issued a direction to the Nizamuddin police station in New Delhi, asking them to arrest Thakurta, who “stands charged with complaint under section 500 of IPC [defamation]”, according to news agency PTI.
The Adani Group had filed the defamation suit following a June 2017 article that said the Narendra Modi government tweaked rules relating to special economic zones which gave the group a “Rs 500 crore bonanza”.
Thakurta’s lawyer told PTI that they haven’t received any intimation (from the court). “This information (on arrest warrant) has come to us from media,” Anand Yagnik said.
He added said the Adani Group had withdrawn complaints against everybody but not against his client.
“The magazine (which published the article) is not responsible (for criminal defamation), the case against co-authors has been withdrawn but you don’t withdraw the complaint against [another] author,” he said. “We have moved a discharge application.”
With the pandemic affecting court hearings last year, the case filed by Adani had come up before the court on Monday and the court had said it will pass an appropriate order, he added.
The article was first published by Economic and Political Weekly on June 14, 2017, of which Thakurta was the editor-in-chief at the time. The Wire had then republished the piece on June 19, 2017.
While EPW removed the article after receiving notices from the Adani Group, The Wire contested the application for an injunction. In May 2019, the group withdrew all its cases against The Wire.
Thakurta resigned as editor of EPW after its publisher Sameeksha Trust ordered the editorial department to take the article down.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, The Wire has said:
“Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and two other authors wrote an article for the Economic and Political Weekly in 2017 on the Adani group, which was republished subsequently by The Wire.
While the Adani group had initiated both civil and criminal defamation against the three authors and The Wire in 2017, the proceedings against The Wire and its Editors were unconditionally withdrawn in 2019, as were those against two of the three authors of the article.
We are dismayed to see that the case of civil and criminal defamation against Paranjoy Guha Thakurta has not been withdrawn.
The Wire wishes to place on record its stand that the article itself is legitimate expression and not defamatory in the least.”
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Corporation (others)
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 23, 2021
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Jan 18, 2021
- Event Description
Peasant groups condemned the arrest of six farmers in Norzagaray, Bulacan after harvesting their own crops, and the series of eviction of farmers in Bataan, Laguna, Cavite, Bulacan and Iloilo.
On Jan. 18, police arrested six farmers in Sitio Compra, San Mateo, Norzagaray, Bulacan following the filing of theft and grave threat by Royal Mollucan Realty Holdings Inc. (RMRHI) against 16 farmers who were evicted from their farm lots.
Arrested were Salvacion Abonilla, John Jason Abonilla, Jenny Capa, Marilyn Olpos, Catherine Magdato, and Eden Gualberto. All are active members of local peasant group SAMA-SAMA, an affiliate of Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Bulacan-KMP.
Since 2005, the RMRHI has been claiming ownership to the 75.5-hectare land in Sitio Compra in San Mateo village, which farmers have been tilling for decades.
Evicted and harassed
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and Amihan documented other cases of land grabbing and rights violations in the past few months.
Two houses were demolished by the private armed group of Ayala land in Hacienda Yulo, Calamba, Laguna on Jan. 6 and 9. Four farmers were reportedly injured.
On Jan. 13 in Hacienda Ambulong, Talisay, Negros Occidental, peasant couple Marilyn and Edwin Madin were held for questioning by the local police station after an early morning raid conducted by the 79th Infantry Battalion Philippine Army. A two-month old baby under their care was also taken by the soldiers.
On Jan. 14, in barangay General Lim, Orion, Bataan, the houses of about 70 peasant families were destroyed by at least 200 police upon orders from former GSIS President Federico Pascual. Policemen also reportedly threatened to destroy all the crops in the 33-hectare land.
In a press conference on Monday, Jan. 18, Shirley Valentin, a farmer and coordinator of Samahan ng Magsasaka sa Sitio Bangad, narrated how they are being harassed every day by the private goons and the police.
“We do not have anything because they destroyed our house. We just stay outside. Last night it was raining and our things are just out there getting wet,” she said in Filipino.
She added that even the blanket they used to shield themselves was confiscated by blue guards and the police.
“We have nowhere to go. We cannot harvest our crops,” Valentin said. She added that the relocation site offered to them has no power, water supply, and is located in the mountainous area.
Meanwhile, farmers in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan have long been fighting against land grabbing as there are several real estate development projects in the city. The KMP said the projects of Villar, Ayala Land Inc., SMDC and others in San Jose Del Monte City are intertwined.
There are also about 400 peasant families of Lupang Ramos in Dasmarinas, Cavite who were threatened to be evicted from their farms and houses due to National Grid Corporations of the Philippines (NGCP) project in December last year.
In a statement, Amihan National Chairperson Zenaida Soriano strongly condemned the continuous abuses against “food security frontliners.”
Soriano said it is immoral that in the middle of a pandemic and poverty brought about by lockdown, farmers are being evicted and their houses are being demolished.
Then and now, peasants’ calls are still the same
In time for the commemoration of Mendiola massacre, peasants groups will hold a nationally- coordinated mobilization on Jan. 22 to “denounce and protest the intensifying land grabbing and land-use conversion of productive agricultural land, coupled with state-sponsored human rights violations against farmers.”
KMP Chairperson Danilo Ramos said that then and now, the farmers’ demands are still the same – land reform and free land distribution.
“The situation of Filipino peasants when they marched from Central Luzon to Mendiola in 1987 remains unchanged, and even worse this 2021, especially with the rising cases of peasant massacres and mass killings under the Duterte administration,” Ramos said.
He added that under President Duterte’s administration there are 21 incidents of peasant massacres and mass killings of farmers with 107 victims, based on the documentation of Tanggol Magsasaka.
Ramos blamed the absence of genuine agrarian reform and government projects such as the ‘Build, Build, Build’, which “authorizes the massive conversion of land for the building of arterial roads and linkages, mega-dams, airport, and railway expansions, among other big-ticket infrastructure projects that are the most common source of bureaucratic corruption.”
- Impact of Event
- 6
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Access to justice, Land rights, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Corporation (others)
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 23, 2021
- Country
- Viet Nam
- Initial Date
- Jan 20, 2021
- Event Description
On 20 January 2021, the People’s Court of Hau Giang sentenced woman human rights defenderĐinh Thị Thu Thủy to seven years in prison. The woman defender was charged under Article 117of the Penal Code, which relates to conducting anti-state propaganda. Đinh Thị Thu Thủy has beenin detention since her arrest from her from her apartment in Ho Chi Minh City on 18 April 2020. Đinh Thị Thu Thủyis a woman human rights defender and an engineer. As a woman human rightsdefender, she has been a strong advocate for freedom of expression and environmental rights, andhas been outspoken against the negative implications of overseas investment projects. On 20 January 2021, at her first- instance hearing, the People’s Court of Hau Giang sentencedĐinh Thị Thu Thủy to seven years in prison. The woman defender has been charged with “making,storing, disseminating or propagandising information, materials and products that aim to opposethe State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under article 117 of the Penal Code of 2015. ĐinhThị Thu Thủy was arrested on 18 April 2020 for allegedly creating several Facebook accounts todisseminate articles to distort Vietnam’s policies and to defame its leadership. She was alsoaccused by authorities of criticizing the communist regime’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.The woman human rights defender was held in incommunicado detention for seven months untilNovember 2020, when she was finally allowed to have contact with her family. Đinh Thị Thu Thủywas granted access to her lawyer for the first time in December 2020, eight months after herdetention. The woman defender is a single mother to a nine year old girl and has been undersevere psychological stress due to lack of visitation and contact with her family. In the past two years, Đinh Thị Thu Thủy has come under frequent judicial harassment,persecution, and surveillance by the Vietnamese authorities. After her participation in a masspeaceful demonstration in Ho Chi Minh City on June 2018, which protested two bills, the SpecialEconomic Zone Bill and the Cyber Security Bill, the woman human rights defender was detained,beaten, interrogated, and fined before being released. The Special Economic Zone bill sought tofavour Chinese investments in the country, in spite of existing disputes amongst the two countriesand the environmental repercussions of such investments. The Cyber Security Bill, which hassince been passed to become law, strives to curb any form of online dissent or criticism against thegovernment. Đinh Thị Thu Thủy’s sentencing comes after the sentencing of three human rights defenders,Nguyen Tuong Thuy, Le Huu Minh Tuan and Pham Chi Dung under the same charges underArticle 117 of the Penal Code. On 14 January 2020, UN experts, in a press release, condemned therecent arrests in Vietnam and the dangerous and blatant usage of Article 117 of the Penal Code tosilence critical voices and further restrict the right to freedom of expression. Front Line Defenders condemns the arrest and sentencing of woman human rights defender ĐinhThị Thu Thủy. It is concerned about the shrinking space for exercising the right to freedom ofexpression in the country and the ongoing judicial harassment of human rights defenders. FrontLine Defenders believes that Đinh Thị Thu Thủy, like other human rights defenders recentlyarrested, is being targeted solely for her peaceful work in defence of human rights in Vietnam.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to fair trial
- HRD
- Environmental rights defender, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 23, 2021
- Country
- Kazakhstan
- Initial Date
- Jan 10, 2021
- Event Description
An aggressive crowd-control tactic known as “kettling” has been taken to such an extreme against a few dozen protesters in Kazakhstan that human rights groups are calling it torture.
Police in Almaty also used loudspeakers to intimidate the handful of anti-government demonstrators on January 10 -- repeatedly playing a song by a Kazakh pop star who later performed for a celebration of U.S. President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Kettling has caused controversy in the West, where it is used to contain crowds of more than 1,000 people that are deemed by authorities to include violent participants.
Rather than trying to arrest violent individuals or disperse a crowd en masse, police temporarily trap everyone together within a small area -- only gradually allowing people to leave. Usually, crowds are blockaded for a few hours or less.
In London and Washington, Seattle, Chicago, New York, and Toronto, kettling has been used during the past 20 years to contain massive anti-war rallies, anti-globalization demonstrations, and protests by the Black Lives Matter movement.
The tactic also was used against demonstrators near President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2017.
Critics argue that kettling increases the potential for violence -- rather than defusing tensions -- because it traps people together in close proximity.
Some courts in the United States and Britain have deemed kettling to be illegal because it targets entire groups indiscriminately and because individuals who aren’t part of a demonstration can also be trapped within police barricades.
Kazakh 'Kettling'
When a few dozen Kazakh activists tried to march in Almaty on January 10, the day of Kazakhstan’s recent parliamentary elections, the apparent goal of authorities was to snuff out democratic dissent and intimidate people from staging future demonstrations.
The incident was part of a wider, ongoing policy of crackdowns that has cast doubt on President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev’s pledge to make political reforms and improve human rights in the former Soviet republic, which is the largest country in Central Asia.
The security forces in Almaty surrounded two groups of about a dozen people who were calling for constitutional reforms and an end to the dominant rule of former President Nursultan Nazarbaev’s Nur Otan party.
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, police wearing masks and riot gear forced one group to stand bunched together in freezing temperatures for nine hours without food, water, or an opportunity to use a bathroom.
Another group that included a pregnant woman and two children was forced to stand together like canned sardines for seven hours.
Meanwhile, police took turns in rotating shifts so they could rest, eat, and stay warm.
At least one demonstrator collapsed with hypothermia and had to be taken away in an ambulance before authorities allowed the protesters to leave.
Psychologically Chilling
Inga Imanbai, a freelance journalist known for critical reports about the Kazakh government, was among those who were kettled and forced to stand in the cold for hours.
“First, there were police provocations for about 40 minutes,” Imanbai told RFE/RL. “Then they brought in loudspeakers and played the song Blizzard Again [super loud] about 20 times in a row. I accepted it as a kind of psychological pressure.”
Blizzard Again is a love song by the internationally renown Kazakh pop star Dimash Kudaibergen.
With lyrics in the Kazakh language, Kudaibergen repeatedly sings the chorus refrain: “My heart is freezing. I feel the chill in my soul.”
Imanbai explains that the innocuous love song, when used as a psychological weapon against hedged-in Kazakh protesters, has an even more chilling connotation.
In that context, she says, the title Blizzard Again hints at a deadly crackdown launched by Soviet authorities in December 1986 against thousands of young Kazakhs who dared to stage anti-Kremlin protests in the streets of Alma-Ata -- now known as Almaty.
The unexpected and unprecedented “December” protests were a response to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s removal of Dinmukhamed Kunaev as first secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan.
Gorbachev replaced the ethnic Kazakh leader with an outsider from Russia named Gennady Kolbin.
The December protests were tolerated for two days. But on the third day, Soviet security forces launched a brutal crackdown codenamed Operation Blizzard.
The actual death toll from Operation Blizzard may never be known.
Officially, Soviet authorities claimed three people were killed. But witnesses say the real number was much higher.
Many young Kazakhs who took part in the protests were later sent to Soviet prisons or expelled from their universities.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the December protest movement was used by Nazarbaev and his successive governments as a symbol of Kazakh independence.
That has ensured that all Kazakhs remember Operation Blizzard and, for them, brings an ominous double meaning to the song title Blizzard Again.
International View
The Norwegian Helsinki Committee and the U.S.-based nongovernmental group Human Rights Watch have condemned the kettling operations of police in Almaty as “repressive tactics against peaceful demonstrators.”
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) concludes that crowd-control tactics like kettling should only be used by authorities in exceptional cases.
The OSCE’s guidelines on freedom of peaceful assembly state: “Tactics of holding protesters in a confined space, known as ‘kettling,’ and other such tactics are characterized by the fact that they do not distinguish between those who participate and those who do not participate in the meeting, or between peaceful and nonpeaceful participants.”
The United Nations’ Human Rights Committee (OHCHR) says police operations to surround and block a group of demonstrators should “only be applied if necessary.”
A body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the OHCHR, says such measures should be applied in proportion to the need to “suppress actual committed violence or to eliminate the imminent threat of violence.”
In many cases, the OHCHR concludes, specific individuals should be targeted rather than entire groups.
It says “particular attention should be paid to blocking, as far as possible, only those directly involved in the violence” and limiting the duration of kettling operations to “the minimum time necessary.”
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community), Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment, Restrictions on Movement, Use of Excessive Force, Vilification
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to health, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker, Pro-democracy activist, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 23, 2021
- Country
- Pakistan
- Initial Date
- Jan 17, 2021
- Event Description
Pakistani security forces have detained and forcibly expelled a prominent ethnic Pashtun rights activist, Sanna Ejaz, from the restive province of Balochistan.
Ejaz is a leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a civil rights movement that has come under a growing government crackdown.
Video footage uploaded on social media showed security forces ushering Ejaz into a vehicle on January 17.
Moments before she was detained in the district of Zhob, Ejaz told RFE/RL that paramilitary forces notified her that she was barred from entering Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.
“They are saying my presence could cause unrest,” she told RFE/RL.
Ejaz, a resident of the neighboring province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said she had travelled to Balochistan to launch a library for women.
The library was established by Waak, a movement cofounded by Ejaz and dedicated to promoting women’s rights and education.
Police said the provincial government in November 2020 issued a notice banning PTM leaders, including Ejaz, from traveling to Balochistan for 90 days.
Balochistan is the scene of a separatist insurgency and a brutal state crackdown that has killed thousands of people since 2004.
Activists claim Pakistan’s powerful military has committed widespread abuses in Balochistan, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings of political activists and suspected separatists, arbitrary arrests, and torture. The province is home to a sizeable Pashtun community.
Ejaz was among several PTM leaders charged with making anti-state speeches during an unsanctioned rally in the port city of Karachi, in Sindh Province, on December 6, 2020.
Among them was Ali Wazir, a lawmaker and PTM leader, who was arrested on sedition charges over accusations he made anti-state comments during the rally.
Wazir remains in police custody. He is expected to be presented before an anti-terrorism court.
The PTM has campaigned since 2018 for the civil rights of Pakistan’s estimated 35 million ethnic Pashtuns, many of whom live near the border of Afghanistan where the military has conducted campaigns it says defeated the Pakistani Taliban.
The movement has attracted tens of thousands of people to public rallies in recent years to denounce the powerful Pakistani Army's heavy-handed tactics that have killed thousands of Pashtun civilians and forced millions more to abandon their homes since 2003.
International rights groups say authorities have banned peaceful rallies organized by the PTM and some of its leading members have been arbitrarily detained and prevented from traveling within the country. Some members have also faced charges of sedition and cybercrimes.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment, Restrictions on Movement, Travel Restriction
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of movement, Offline, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Minority rights defender, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Armed forces/ Military
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 23, 2021
- Country
- Pakistan
- Initial Date
- Jan 18, 2021
- Event Description
Pakistani authorities have rearrested a prominent ethnic Pashtun rights activist who is facing sedition charges almost a week after he was released on bail.
Police and the civil rights group say Said Alam Mahsud, a leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), was taken into custody in the northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan on January 18.
He was first arrested early this month in the city of Peshawar before being released on bail on January 13.
A PTM leader, Alamzeb Mehsud, said Mahsud had been charged with "sedition, making anti-state comments, and addressing unsanctioned rallies" in two cases registered in 2019.
Mahsud’s arrest comes a day after another PTM leader, Sanna Ejaz, was detained and forcibly expelled from the southwestern province of Balochistan, amid a growing government crackdown on the movement.
The PTM has campaigned since 2018 for the civil rights of Pakistan’s estimated 35 million ethnic Pashtuns, many of whom live near the border with Afghanistan where the military has conducted campaigns that it says defeated the Pakistani Taliban.
The movement has attracted tens of thousands of people to public rallies in recent years to denounce the powerful Pakistani Army's heavy-handed tactics that have killed thousands of Pashtun civilians and forced millions more to abandon their homes since 2003.
International rights groups say authorities have banned peaceful rallies organized by the PTM and some of its leading members have been arbitrarily detained and prevented from traveling within the country.
Some members have also faced charges of sedition and cybercrimes.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Minority rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 23, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Jan 12, 2021
- Event Description
A university student was taken from his dorm in the middle of the night, charged with royal defamation, and then slapped with a cybercrime charge less than 24 hours later for refusing to give up his computer password.
Police accused Thammasat University student Sirichai “New” Nathuang of defaming His Majesty the King by spray painting political slogans on the portraits of three Royal Family members on Sunday, according to his lawyer Poonsuk Poonsukcharoen.
The 21-year-old was arrested at his home on Wednesday night and held incommunicado for several hours, Poonsuk said. It was the first time police made an arrest over royal defamation charges, or lese majeste, since the crackdown started in November. At least 40 people have been charged with lese majeste so far.
Poonsuk said police also searched Sirichai’s apartment, and refused to inform his family and lawyers where he was being held until some hours later.
“He has the right to a lawyer the moment he was arrested,” Poonsuk, who works for the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights group, said by phone. But for a considerable period, he was not allowed to call any lawyer.”
Poonsuk added that she only gained access to her client at about 1.15am on Thursday morning, and said police’s behavior could have been interpreted as an abduction.
Police Lt. Yotsawat Nitiratpattakul of Klong Luang Police station, which has jurisdiction over the case, refused to answer questions about the manner of Sirichai’s arrest.
When asked to comment on the allegation that Sirichai was not given an opportunity to consult his attorney, as given to him by the law, Lt. Yotsawat replied, “I cannot give details about that either.”
Sirichai was later charged with Computer Crime Act on Thursday evening for refusing to give up his computer password as demanded by the investigators, the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said.
He stands accused of insulting His Majesty the King by spray painting slogans calling for abolition of lese majeste offense over large portraits of the late King Bhumbol, the Queen Mother, and Princess Sirivannavari that were displayed in public areas close to his university on Sunday.
Poonsuk the attorney cast doubt on whether the lese majeste law is applicable in Sirichai’s case, since the letter of the law only covers the King, Queen, Heir Apparent, and Regent.
But the lese majeste offense, enshrined under Article 112 of the Criminal Codes, has been routinely used by the police to silence any discussions about the monarchy. The offense took a hiatus for several years – PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said it was due to His Majesty the King’s clemency – only to make a return in November.
Chaitawat Tulathon, sec-gen of the opposition Move Forward Party, said on the phone Thursday that the latest arrest under lese majeste was “disproportionate,” since the student was apprehended in the dark of the night, and had no access to lawyers for hours.
Chaitawat also said his party is preparing a proposal to amend all defamation laws, including lese majeste, which could be submitted to the Parliament as early as next Wednesday, if the House reconvenes for a meeting amid the pandemic.
On the other hand, pro-government Phalang Pracharath Party deputy leader Paiboon Nititawan said he supports the ongoing crackdown on those accused of defaming the monarchy.
“It’s a justice process,” Paiboon said by phone. “Since the law stated that it’s a violation. Even if it’s 40 people, they must be arrested. Everything is under the due process of law. I personally support the arrests. The latest case wasn’t a minor and he must fight through the justice system.”
Democrat Party spokesman Ramet Rattanachaweng said he would not comment on lese majeste cases, including the latest arrest.
“We don’t know what the facts are,” Ramet said. “This is the police duty, to find out whether someone committed a crime or not.”
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment, Raid
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, Student
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary, Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Jan 21, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Jan 19, 2021
- Event Description
A security guard at IconSiam luxury shopping mall was fined 1,000 baht by the police on Tuesday after he was filmed slapping a university student who was holding a lone protest in front of the department store.
Passapong Ponjaturapat, 47, was identified as the assailant. He was fined by Pak Khlong San Police under a misdemeanor of minor physical assault against Benja Apan, a 21-year-old Thammasat University student and a member of the activist group United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration.
Benja said she was holding a placard with the message “Vaccine Monopoly is PR for the Royals” at the riverside shopping mall about 2pm Tuesday, when she and her companion were surrounded by about 10 security personnel and staff from the mall.
“After we took the photos, the guards ran and mobbed me,” Benja said at the police station. “At first I was going to leave through the front part of the mall, but he wouldn’t let me. He tried to confiscate my phone. I wouldn’t let him do that. And suddenly he seized my placard, so I reached for his staff ID card, I wanted to know who he was. He slapped me right then.”
The student continued, “I felt very angry and humiliated. He admitted his fault and paid the fine. He apologized to me. He said it all happened in a moment of chaos.”
The confrontation was also captured on a live video and posted on social media. One of the staff could be heard telling Benja to leave the premises because it was a private property. “This is my home!” the employee said.
Passapong declined to speak to a reporter at the police station.
IconSiam later issued a statement promising a disciplinary inquiry into the guard who had slapped Banja.
“IconSiam is aware of the incident. We’d like to express our regret and apologize for what happened,” the mall said.
“As soon as we were aware of the incident, we opened an investigation and set up a fact-finding committee. If the employee is found to have committed the wrongdoing, we will take a serious disciplinary action against the employee in accordance with our regulations.”
The statement went on to say that it reserves the right to ban any political gatherings and activities on its premises. Any violations may result in a legal action, IconSiam said.
Lt. Col. Jirote Bhamornsut, deputy superintendent of Pak Khlong San Police Station, said IconSiam has the rights to remove Benja from the mall since it is considered private property.
“It’s within the power of the shopping mall whether to allow the protest to happen or not,” Jirote said. “If someone tells you to leave their house and you refuse to, that’s intrusion.”
Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, a leader of the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, went to the police station along with some 20 protesters on Tuesday afternoon to show their support for Benja.
“This person came out to campaign on behalf of the interest of the people,” Parit said, adding that the vaccination effort is being exploited as a public relations tool for the monarchy.
The vast majority of vaccines to be used in the inoculation campaign will be manufactured by Siam Bioscience, a company wholly owned by the Crown Property Bureau. The firm said it secured a knowledge sharing agreement with AstraZeneca, a British pharmaceutical who developed the vaccine.
IconSiam is a 50 billion baht joint venture between real estate giants Siam Piwat and Magnolia Quality Development. It opened in 2018. Siam Piwat also owns other prominent shopping malls like Siam Paragon and Siam Center in downtown Bangkok.
On Dec. 20, Parit and his group also staged a protest demanding monarchy reforms at Siam Paragon. Security guards employed by the mall trailed the activists as they walked around the department store, but did not interfere with the protest.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, Student, WHRD
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Non-state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Jan 21, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Dec 1, 2020
- Event Description
Polres Gorontalo Kota membubarkan aksi aliansi mahasiswa Papua yang digelar di gerbang kampus Universitas Negeri Gorontalo (UNG), Selasa (1/12/2020).
Sejatinya, aksi ini digelar oleh aliansi mahasiswa Papua di Gorontalo untuk memperingati lahirnya Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM) yang jatuh pada 1 Desember.
“Aksi ini terpaksa dibubarkan karena tidak memiliki izin,” kata Kapolres Gorontalo Kota, AKBP Desmont Harjendro AP SIK, saat dikonfirmasi wartawan.
Dikatakan Kapolres pula, bahwa di masa pandemi ini pihaknya harus benar-benar mencegah kerumunan dan hal-hal lainnya yang berpotensi bertambahnya virus corona.
Pembubaran aksi oleh pihak kepolisian pun awalnya telah dilakukan secara persuasif, namun sayang tidak diindahkan oleh mahasiswa Papua tersebut. Olehnya, polisi pun melakukan upaya paksa untuk membubarkan aksi.
“Tadi memang nyaris terjadi gesekan dengan massa aksi, namun semuanya bisa dikendalikan,” tandas mantan Kapolres Bone Bolango itu. Sebelumnya, aliansi mahasiswa Papua menggelar aksi Free West Papua (Fri-WP) dalam rangka memperingati HUT OPM ini menyampaikan beberapa tuntutannya, di antaranya memprotes pemerintah yang dianggap selalu mendeskripsikan masyarakat Papua dan mengeroyok kekayaan di tanah Papua.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Administrative Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- #COVID-19, Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Student
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 20, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Dec 1, 2020
- Event Description
Beredar informasi soal pembubaran massa aksi oleh aparat berpakaian preman sekira pukul 13.35 WIT di depan Pasar Barito, Gamalama, Ternate Tengah. Kapolres Ternate AKBP Aditya Laksimada membenarkan hal tersebut.
"Iya," ujar dia ketika dihubungi Tirto, Selasa (1/12/2020). Aditya menambahkan tidak ada penangkapan peserta aksi, hanya pembubaran demonstrasi saja. Massa berunjuk rasa menolak Otsus Papua jilid II, cabut Undang-Undang Cipta Kerja, dan berikan demokrasi bagi rakyat Papua. Aditya menyebut tiga hal dasar pembubaran. Pertama, massa tidak memiliki Surat Tanda Terima Pemberitahuan (STTP), meski sudah menginformasikan kepada kepolisian. Kedua, massa menimbulkan kerumunan yang rawan penyebaran virus COVID-19. Ketiga, Polri mencegah hasutan dan ujaran yang mengarah kepada perpecahan bangsa.
Pemerintah dan aparat Indonesia kerap menyebut 1 Desember sebagai "hari ulang tahun Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM)." Masalahnya 1 Desember bukanlah hari ulang tahun OPM, meski itu memang sangat terkait erat dengan upaya memerdekakan diri Papua dari Indonesia.
Pernyataan ini disampaikan Juru Bicara Tentara Pembebasan Nasional Papua Barat-Organisasi Papua Merdeka (TPNPB-OPM), Sebby Sambom. "1 Desember itu hari para tokoh Papua dan pemerintahan Belanda mengumumkan embrio negara. OPM berjuang untuk pengakuan itu," katanya, Selasa (12/11/2019).
Pada 19 Oktober 1961, Nicholaas Jouwe, EJ Bonay, Nicholaas Tanggahma, dan F. Torey membuat manifesto politik yang mendesak Belanda agar "Papua mendapatkan tempat sendiri sama seperti bangsa-bangsa merdeka."
Kemudian, pada 1 Desember 1961, di kantor-kantor Hoofd van Plaatselijk Bestuur (HPB)--pemerintahan daerah--penduduk Papua berkumpul merayakan pengibaran bendera Papua Barat--Bintang Kejora--untuk kali pertama di samping bendera Belanda. Nyanyian religi 'Hai Tanahku Papua' dijadikan lagu nasional.
Sebagaimana Indonesia, Papua Barat juga diakui kemerdekaanya oleh Kerajaan Belanda. 1 Desember, dengan begitu, adalah simbol pengakuan Belanda atas berdirinya negara Papua Barat.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Administrative Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- #COVID-19, Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Minority rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 20, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Jan 16, 2021
- Event Description
At least seven people were arrested in confrontations between police and small groups of pro-democracy activists at two locations in Bangkok on Saturday.
Four people also suffered minor injuries following a small explosion outside Chamchuri Square on Rama IV Road, not long after demonstrators started leaving nearby Samyan Mitrtown, where they had rallied after being dispersed from Victory Monument. It is not known if the blast was related to the protests.
The day began when a few dozen people calling themselves Free Guards gathered at the Phyathai island near Victory Monument at noon. They unfurled three blank 112-metre banners — a reference to the lese majeste section of the Criminal Code — and invited people to share their thoughts about the government and the royal defamation law.
Several passers-by took up the offer and wrote on the banners before police reached the scene, backed by a fully equipped mob-control team who encircled the outer area.
Among the messages to the government were: “Thai education needs to be improved”, “Stop harassing people”, “A failed government, a divisive society” and “Covid-19 is an excuse”.
More than 40 activists, most of them young, have been charged with lese majeste since mid-November, when Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said “all laws” would be used to deal with the increasingly vocal protest movement. Prior to that there had been no charges laid under Article 112 for more than two years.
The police warned the demonstrators at Victory Monument that their activity was in violation of the Covid-19 emergency decree, with penalties up to two years in prison and/or a fine of up to 40,000 baht. It also broke the Disease Control Act with one year in jail and a fine of up to 100,000 baht, they said.
They later started arresting people and seized the banners. A scuffle ensued as some resisted by hurling abuse at the officers and lying on the ground. Some were heard asking them why they did not raid gambling dens nearby instead.
Police gave them five minutes to clear the area.
Deputy police spokesman Pol Col Kissana Phathanacharoen later arrived at the scene. He ordered the police to back down and ask people to go home.
At least two people were reportedly taken away. They were believed to have been taken to the Border Patrol Police Region 1 headquarters in Pathum Thani, where many dissidents have been held for questioning in the past.
The Free Guards group later went to the Phayathai police station to demand the release of those being held, but police closed off the area and told them to leave. They complied but decided to assemble again at 3.30pm in front of Samyan Mitrtown in the Pathumwan area.
At the shopping centre, they repeated their demand for the release of the protesters who had been held. Police told them to leave at 4.30pm.
After they left at around 5pm. A blast was heard in front of the mall, slightly wounding two people.
One man sustained cuts from shrapnel in his palm while a reporter from The Standard online news outlet was hurt in the calf. Police later said two officers also sustained minor injuries.
At least five more people were arrested and officers reportedly took their mobile phones, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
Also on Saturday afternoon, Bad Students, a group of teenaged campaigners for educational reform, held a symbolic demonstration to mark Teachers' Day, gathering in front of the Education Ministry on Ratchadamnoen Avenue.
Before the activity began, police told their leaders that while they would not be prosecuted because they were minors, properly wore masks and kept distancing, they urged them to drop their plan for fear of the Covid-19 spread.
The students bargained with the police, who finally allowed them to hold the activity for 15 minutes, which they broadcast live on Facebook.
The activity involved presenting "gifts" to teachers — canes, scissors and rulers — in front of the ministry’s nameplate, with the sign “The Third Kindness … Beautiful and Fresh”.
The Third Kindness is the name of a song encouraging young people to feel grateful for their teachers. The first kindness is said to be the Triple Gem of Buddhism (Buddha, dhamma and sangha) and the second is parents. All three are what everyone should feel grateful for and pay respect to all their lives.
The students also poured red paint that looked like blood on themselves, signifying how they have been treated by the Thai educational system, before dispersing.
- Impact of Event
- 7
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Intimidation and Threats, Judicial Harassment, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- #COVID-19, Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, Student, Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Jan 17, 2021
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Dec 30, 2020
- Event Description
Members of progressive groups on Thursday condemned the Rizal Day killings of nine members of an indigenous community that is opposed to a dam project on Panay Island and demanded justice for the victims of what they called a “massacre.”
The Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives said it would seek a congressional investigation of the predawn raids on Dec. 30 by police and soldiers that led to the deaths of several leaders and members of the Tumandok, the largest ethnic group in the hinterlands of Panay.
“The year-end spate of killings in Panay is a chilling conclusion of a year marred by bloody attacks on rights defenders and ordinary citizens amid the pandemic,” said Rep. Arlene Brosas of Gabriela Women party list.
“These butchers in uniform have long been terrorizing communities since time immemorial. Now, under a bloodthirsty Commander in Chief, they have ramped up their efforts to silence the growing number of Filipinos calling for justice and opposing development aggression,” Brosas said.
She said the Gabriela Women’s Party and her colleagues in the Makabayan bloc would file a resolution to investigate the police and military operation.
The nine people were killed in separate raids in seven hinterland villages in Tapaz town, Capiz province, on Wednesday. One of them was Roy Giganto, chair of Tumanduk nga Mangunguma nga Nagapangapin sang Duta kag Kabuhi (Tumanduk), a former village chief and an incumbent village councilor of Barangay Lahug.
Tumanduk is an alliance of 17 indigenous communities in Tapaz and Jamindan towns in Capiz and Calinog in Iloilo. It is a member of Sandugo, an alliance of indigenous peoples organizations under Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan).
NPA rebels?
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police said those killed were New People’s Army (NPA) rebels who fought back when the officers served search warrants and found firearms, ammunition and explosives in their houses.
Police said 16 other villagers in Tapaz and neighboring Calinog were arrested.
Lahug village chief Jobelyn Giganto, Roy’s sister-in-law and neighbor, said policemen barged into his house around 4 a.m. and “dragged his wife out [of the house] and shot him.”
“We are not armed and how can they say he fought back when all of us were asleep when they came,” Jobelyn told the Inquirer by phone on Thursday.
Another villager who was killed, Eliseo Gayas Jr. of Barangay Aglinab, was reportedly “tortured to the point of vomiting blood prior to his death,” according to Angelo Suarez, coconvener and spokesperson for Sama-samang Artista para sa Kilusang Agraryo.
Also killed in Lahug were Mario Aguirre and Reynaldo Katipunan. The other fatalities were Garson Catamin and Rolando Diaz of Nayawan village, Maurito Diaz of Tacayan, Artilito Katipunan of Acuña and Jomar Vidal of Daan-Sur. Fear on New Year’s Eve
Jobelyn said villagers were afraid to sleep in their own homes and planned to spend New Year’s Eve at the barangay day care center after most of their community and tribe leaders were killed.
“We fear that something will happen again while we are sleeping,” Jobelyn said.
“I have been telling the people here that despite what happened, we should continue to unite and face our situation together,” she said.
According to Danilo Ramos, chair of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, the Tumanduk leaders were fighting against the construction of the multibillion-peso Jalaur megadam in Calinog, Iloilo province, which would submerge their homes and farmlands in their ancestral land.
Some of them were also previously harassed and put under surveillance by the military, and most were accused of being rebels, Ramos said.
A month before the raids, the Tumanduk leaders were told by the military to sign up as NPA surrenderers, said Defend Negros spokesperson Ariel Casilao. When they refused, he said, they were warned that they could be charged under the new antiterrorism law. ‘Killed Negros-style’
“True enough, they were killed Negros-style,” he added, referring to the brutal massacre of farmers in Negros Oriental in 2018 and 2019.
ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro condemned the killing of indigenous peoples who were just protecting their ancestral lands “from destructive projects that do more harm than good for the Filipino people.”
“The Tumandok indigenous community has been vocal in resisting the construction of the Jalaur Mega Dam in Calinog, Iloilo. Because of their resistance and voices of dissent, they have been victims of Red-tagging and now EJKs (extrajudicial killings) and arrests on trumped-up charges,” Castro said.
“The Tumandok massacre proves further how Red-tagging kills and how the Duterte administration is determined to silence all voices of dissent,” she said.
The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) said the Rizal Day killings showed that the Duterte administration “does not choose any time to sow terror” in rural communities.
“Innocent civilians and indigenous peoples continue to suffer due to the culture of impunity that remains even as the year is about to end,” the group said. Dam opponents
The activist science group Agham, which helped conduct an environmental investigation of the dam project, demanded justice for the Tumandok and the punishment of state forces for their “heinous crimes.”
The Jalaur River Multipurpose Project Phase II (JRMPP), locally called the Jalaur Dam, was designed to produce hydropower and supply water for irrigation in the province of Iloilo.
Agham said that in partnership with the Jalaur River for the People Movement, it found that the project proponent “failed to establish a detailed geological mapping and subsurface investigations that are crucial in determining the potential natural hazards that will affect the dam, particularly with regards to the stability of the structure and its foundation.”
It said that geologic hazards, such as earthquakes posed dangers to the dam, which may lead to massive flooding.
Agham said there also was no “free and prior informed consent” from the tribe, which is required by law for such projects in ancestral lands.
“Also, risks and possible negative impacts were still not addressed and were not communicated to the stakeholders. These key findings have validated the fears and concerns of the Tumandok people who are valiantly fighting for the protection of the people and the environment,” Agham said.
- Impact of Event
- 26
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Death, Judicial Harassment, Killing, Raid, Torture, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security, Right to life
- HRD
- Indigenous peoples' rights defender, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Armed forces/ Military, Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 17, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Nov 20, 2020
- Event Description
Ratusan buruh Kota Batam yang berencana melakukan unjuk rasa di depan Kantor Wali Kota, hari ini terpaksa dibatalkan. Sebab, aparat melakukan pembubaran paksa demi menghindari terjadinya penyebaran Covid-19.
"Tidak bisa mas, ini kami masih kucing-kucingan sama aparat yang menginginkan kita tidak jadi melakukan aksi," kata Panglima Garda Metal FSPMI Batam, Suprapto, Jumat (20/11/2020).
Ia menjelaskan, direncanakan dalam aksi tersebut mereka akan kembali menuntut Pjs Wali Kota Batam, Syamsul Bahrum untuk menarik rekomendasi UMK 2021 yang dinilai sangat tidak pantas.
Syamsul Bahrum diketahui telah mengirimkan rekomendasi UMK 2021 Batam ke Gubernur Kepri dengan perhitungan naik sebesar 0,5 persen atau setara Rp 20.050.
Ditambah lagi, Suprapto menjelaskan, rekomendasi UMK 2021 tersebut dikeluarkan Pjs Wali Kota Batam sebelum permasalahan SK Gubernur Kepri nomor 1300 tahun 2020 tentang UMP 2021, yang tidak ada kenaikan upah.
"Jelas ini kesalahan fatal, ingat Pak Syamsul. Anda hanya Pjs dan hanya akan bertahan selama 3 minggu ke depan. Berilah yang terbaik kepada masyarakat Kota Batam. Jangan asal mengeluarkan rekomendasi UMK 2021 naik 0,5 persen tanpa dasar dan melanggar ketentuan-ketentuan yang ada. Kita selesaikan dulu permasalahan UMP 2021. Jika tidak, maka kami pastikan akan melakukan aksi yang lebih besar," tegasnya.
Aksi buruh Kota Batam melakukan penolakan UMP 2021 dan UMK Batam 2021 ini pun juga sudah berlangsung beberapa kali, mulai di Graha Kepri, UPT Pengawasan Ketenagakerjaan Disnakertrans, serta Pemko Batam dengan masa mencapai ribuan orang.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Administrative Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- #COVID-19, Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Labour rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Nov 16, 2020
- Event Description
Aliansi Mahasiswa Papua meneriakkan referendum usai diadang kepolisian saat hendak berdemonstrasi di kawasan Istana Negara, Jakarta, Senin (16/11).
Saat polisi menutup akses jalan ke Istana, orator Roland Levy menyebut pengadangan sebagai bentuk represi terhadap demokrasi. Polisi melarang mahasiswa Papua berdemonstrasi di Istana meski telah menyampaikan pemberitahuan dari pekan lalu. Polisi memasang kawat berduri dan menutup akses menuju Istana.
"Ini bukti pembungkaman terhadap demokrasi. Ini juga terjadi di Tanah Papua," kata Roland di depan barikade kawat berduri.
Roland pun meminta rekan-rekannya untuk melantangkan perlawanan. Mereka menyanyikan lagu Papua Bukan Merah Putih, lagu yang menyatakan penolakan pengakuan Papua sebagai bagian dari wilayah Indonesia.
Mereka pun melanjutkan aksi dengan orasi-orasi politik di depan kawat berduri. Para mahasiswa Papua menyatakan tiga tuntutan, yakni penolakan operasi Blok Wabu bekas PT Freeport Indonesia, penolakan perpanjangan otonomi khusus Papua yang berakhir 2021, dan menolak UU Cipta Kerja.
Di tengah-tengah aksi, orator Roland Levy berulang kali meneriakkan referendum. Ia juga meneriakkan tuntutan untuk memerdekakan Papua.
"Referendum?" ucap Roland.
"Yes," kata massa.
"Papua?" ucap Roland lagi.
"Merdeka," saut massa.
"Otsus?" teriak Roland.
"Tolak," sambut massa.
Massa pun tetap bertahan di kawasan Patung Arjunawiwaha. Demonstran menyampaikan orasi politik secara bergantian tentang potret ketidakadilan si Tanah Papua.
Sejumlah kelompok masyarakat Papua memperjuangkan referendum agar Papua bisa memisahkan diri dari Indonesia. Tuntutan ini menguat sejak akhir tahun 2019.
Pada 17 Agustus 2019, ada aksi rasisme oknum aparat kepada mahasiswa Papua di Surabaya, Jawa Timur. Aksi rasisme itu pun memicu gelombang demonstrasi besar-besaran oleh mahasiswa Papua di berbagai daerah.
Dari aksi itu, sejumlah tokoh pemuda Papua ditangkap dan dipenjara. Beberapa di antaranya adalah aktor yang berunjuk rasa di Jakarta, seperti Ambrosius Mulait dan Surya Anta Ginting.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Administrative Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline
- HRD
- Minority rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Aug 17, 2020
- Event Description
Peringatan HUT RI ke-75 di Sulbar diwarnai aksi demonstrasi. Puluhan orang yang tergabung dalam Aliansi Pemerhati Pendidikan Sulbar (Ampera) melakukan unjukrasa di bundaran depan Kantor Gubernur Sulbar. Mereka menuntut dugaan penanganan korupsi Dana Alokasi Khusus (DAK) pendidikan tahun 2020, Senin (17/08/2020).
Dilansir katinting.com, aksi yang awalnya berlangsung damai akhirnya ricuh dan dibubarkan secara paksa. Massa aksi kecewa karena dihadang polisi saat hendak bergerak menuju ke kantor Gubernur. Sehingga pengunjukrasa dalam orasinya menyampaikan dugaan kongkalikong pemerintah dengan aparat hukum dalam hal kasus korupsi. Orasi itu kemudian membuat tersinggung Kasatreskrim Polres Mamuju, AKP. Syamsuriansyah.
“Kau bisa buktikan itu? “Sekarang saja saya bisa ambil kamu,” tegas Syamsuriansyah.
Gesekan pun tak terhindarkan. Massa aksi dibubarkan dan lima orang diamankan.
Wakapolres Mamuju AKBP Arianto, mengatakan, tindakan tegas dilakukan sebagai bentuk komitmen yang disampaikan massa yang menyurat ke pihak kepolisian dengan titik kumpul di lapangan merdeka dan titik aksi di Bundaran Arteri, Mamuju. Namun massa aksi ingin menerobos masuk ke kantor Gubernur Sulbar sehingga dilakukan tindakan tegas.
“Tentu kami menjalankan komitmen yang disampaikan secara yuridis itu,” sambung Arianto.
Seorang massa aksi Rian, mengatakan, yang terjadi di lapangan diluar perkiraan. Ia pun menegaskan bahwa aksinya adalah aksi damai.
Ia pun berkomitmen mengawal lima temannya yang diamankan sampai dibebaskan.
Aksi ini mempertanyakan dugaan penyalahgunaan wewenang DAK Fisik Pendidikan Sulbar Tahun Anggaran 2020 sebesar Rp. 203.056.508.000,- untuk SMA, SMK, dan SLB di Sulbar. Diduga telah melanggar UU Tindak Pidana Korupsi. Dugaan itu juga dikaitkan dengan mutasi Kepala Sekolah (Kepsek) sebanyak 64 orang pada Mei 2020.
Adapun tuntutan massa aksi yaitu mendesak Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK), Kejaksaan Agung, Polri, menangkap aktor dalang pembagian fee 20 persen dari total yang disinyalir mengalir ke kantor Gubernur Sulbar dan sejumlah pejabat penegak hukum di Sulbar.
Massa aksi juga meminta Gubernur mencopot/ menonaktifkan Kepala Bidang SMA dan SMK Disdikbud Sulbar. Dan mendesak DPRD Sulbar membetuk Panitia Khusus untuk mengawal masalah DAK tersebut.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Administrative Harassment, Restrictions on Movement
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Freedom of movement, Offline, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Jul 18, 2020
- Event Description
Wartawan sekaligus pemimpin redaksi (Pemred) Bandungkita.id, Mohammad Zezen Zainal beserta keluarga mendapatkan intimidasi dari orang tidak dikenal.
Aksi premanisme dan kekerasan tersebut diduga merupakan buntut dari liputan khusus Bandungkita.id terkait kepemimpinan dinasti yang berlangsung di Kabupaten Bandung.
Zezen menjelaskan,, intimidasi yang ia terima beserta keluarga dari mulai kekerasan verbal hingga menjurus pada kekerasan fisik yang mengancam keluarga.
“Sempat ada dua orang yang datang ke rumah dan menemui isteri saya, selanjutnya menyampaikan pesan agar saya tidak membuat berita yang macam-macam,”katanya.
Ia menambahkan, pesan yang disampaikan oleh kedua orang yang mengenakan helm full face tersebut lebih pada pemberhentian pemberitaan terkait isu kepemimpinan dinasti di Kabupaten Bandung.
“Mereka menyatakan akan melakukan apa pun jika saya dan BandungKita.id masih “mengganggu” dinasti dengan pemberitaan-pemberitaan yang dianggap negatif oleh mereka,”jelasnya.
Zezen menyebut, sang isteri pun tak luput dari intimidasi secara fisik. Salah satunya yakni upaya untuk mencelakai sang isteri saat berkendara di jalan raya.
“Menurut istri saya, yang menendang sepeda motornya adalah dua orang berboncengan menggunakan sepeda motor matic. Mereka menggunakan helm sehingga tidak terlihat wajah pelaku. Mereka langsung kabur ketika istri saya teriak minta tolong,” jelasnya.
Zezen mengaku sangat geram dengan aksi premanisme dan penyerangan yang dilakukan oleh oknum tidak dikenal tersebut. Terlebih, aksi premanisme dan penyerangan itu juga menimpa keluarganya yang tidak tahu apa-apa.
“Saya menduga mungkin ada pihak-pihak yang panas dan terganggu dengan berita yang diturunkan BandungKita.id. Apalagi sebelumnya memang ada yang bertemu dengan saya dan menawarkan kerjasama, tapi kami tolak karena mereka meminta banyak syarat dan meminta berita kondusif,” ungkap Zezen.
Setelah tawaran kerjasama ditolak, kata Zezen, ia juga mendapat informasi ada pihak yang ingin melaporkan BandungKita.id ke polisi dengan tuduhan pencemaran nama baik. Namun, menurutnya, laporan itu salah alamat jika ditujukan kepada pihak kepolisian.
“Karena kami media, yang dipakai adalah Undang-undang Pers. Jika keberatan dengan pemberitaan kami, silakan sampaikan hak jawab. Kami dengan senang hati akan memuat hak jawab. Tapi kami selalu mencoba berimbang ketika memuat satu berita pun. Kami selalu tempuh semua prosedur agar pemberitaan kami cover both side. Kalau ngomong lapor ke polisi, berarti mereka enggak faham aturan soal media,” tuturnya.
Tak berselang lama dari informasi tersebut, Zezen juga mengaku sempat mendapat telepon dari seseorang yang mengingatkan agar tidak macam-macam dalam membuat berita. Apalagi terus memberitakan soal dinasti.
Sebab, ada pihak-pihak yang disebut sudah sangat emosional dan siap kapan saja “membungkam” BandungKita.id yang tetap memberitakan soal isu-isu sensitif diantaranya soal dinasti politik dan dugaan aliran dana eksekutif kepada pihak legislatif.
“Kami sedikit pun tidak ada maksud menyerang pihak mana pun. Kami hanya menjalankan fungsi kontrol sebagai media. Kami menjunjung tinggi kode etik dan prosedur pemberitaan. Kami hanya mengangkat satu isu yang menjadi fakta di masyarakat. Tapi sedikit sekali yang berani mengangkat isu-isu sensitif seperti ini,” ujar wartawan yang mengantongi sertifikasi UKW Kategori Wartawan Utama dari Dewan Pers tersebut.
Zezen mengaku sangat menyayangkan dan mengecam aksi intimidasi kepada pers yang menimpa diri dan keluarganya tersebut. Saat ini, kata dia, cara-cara menekan pers dengan aksi kekerasan sudah tidak relevan karena Indonesia adalah negara hukum.
Ia mempertimbangkan untuk melaporkan aksi intimidasi dan penyerangan tersebut kepada pihak kepolisian. Zezen juga berencana akan mengungsikan keluarganya sementara karena istrinya mengalami trauma berat sekaligus untuk menghindari terjadinya hal-hal yang tidak diinginkan.
“Saya akan berdiskusi dahulu dengan teman-teman di BandungKita.id dan juga PWI, selaku induk organisasi kewartawanan tempat saya bernaung saat ini mengenai langkah apa yang akan diambil ke depan,” ujar Zezen yang tercatat sebagai anggota PWI Jabar itu.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Unknown
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Unknown
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- Nepal
- Initial Date
- Jan 8, 2021
- Event Description
Nepal Police arrested citizens for protesting peacefully at a program in Dhangadhi on January 8. Dhangadhi lies in the Sudurpaschim Province of Nepal.
Local youths Binod Khadka, Aarud Sah, Sagar Joshi, Rajendra Shahi, Pravin Khadka, Suresh Joshi, and Naresh Prasad Joshi were arrested for wearing t-shirt with slogans- Where is the rapist of Nirmala Panta?
Nirmala Panta, a 13-year old girl was raped and murdered in Kanchanpur in 2018. The locals claim the 'accused is still roaming scot-free'. The investigation authority had earlier stated that the perpetrator would be arrested soon but no action has been taken yet.
The youths had worn t-shirts to create pressure on government to arrest and punish the rapist and murderer of Nirmala Panta. The program was being addressed by the Prime Minister.
Other attendees in the program also shared that they were not even allowed to wear black mask.
Youths were detained for four hours and released later, informed chief of District Police Office, Kailali.
Freedom Forum condemns the incident as it is gross violation of citizen's right to peaceful protest. It has resulted in suppression of freedom of expression. Such incidents represent government's authoritarian move and intolerance towards public criticism. Citizen's right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest is guaranteed by Nepal's constitution.
- Impact of Event
- 7
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- WHRD, Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Dec 30, 2020
- Event Description
A peasant activist was shot to death by still unidentified motorcycle-riding assailants in Antequera town, Bohol around 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
Lorenzo “Dodoy” Paña, 55, a resident of Barangay Bantolinao in Antequera town, was driving his motorcycle around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday when two men on board another motorcycle drove alongside him.
The backrider then pulled out a gun and shot Paña, who succumbed to gunshot wounds on his body.
Lt. Victor Tagsa Jr, acting chief of Antequera Municipal Police Station, said Paña was supposed to deliver lunch to his son who worked at a construction site in Barangay Dorol, Balilihan town when the incident happened.
Scene-of-the-Crime Operatives recovered two spent shells of an M16 rifle and four empty shells of a .45-caliber gun.
Investigators have yet to identify the suspects as well as the motive behind the killing.
The Hugpong sa Mag-uumang Bol-anon-Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (Humabol-KMP) said in a statement that Paña was a former officer of Hugpong sa Mag-uuma Dapit sa Kasadpan (Humanda Ka), a district formation of Humabol chapters in the first district of Bohol.
Paña, along with his wife and children, voluntarily worked in the construction of a coconut processing plant managed by farmers’ organizations in Barangay Tinibgan in Maribojoc town, which now produces virgin coconut oil.
Paña and his family have been repeatedly red-tagged and harassed by the police and the military even if he was no longer a full-time organizer of Humanda Ka.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Death, Killing, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Right to life
- HRD
- Community-based HRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Unknown
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Unknown
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Jan 13, 2021
- Event Description
Authorities in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan on Wednesday suspended the license of rights attorney Lu Siwei at a disciplinary hearing, citing his public comments on the case of the 12 Hong Kong activists detained at sea in August 2020.
Judicial authorities in Sichuan's provincial capital Chengdu moved on Jan. 4 to strike Lu off, alleging that he made "inappropriate remarks" in public about the case, thereby "breaking Chinese law and professional guidelines for lawyers."
Faced with the loss of his license to practice law, Lu opted for a full hearing. He was dragged into the building by police officers on Wednesday as he showed up at the Sichuan provincial department of justice in Chengdu.
"Lawyer Lu Siwei was escorted to the justice department directly from his home in his wife's car," a lawyer at the scene, who asked to remain anonymous, told RFA on Wednesday.
"He wasn't allowed contact with anyone else, and was taken straight inside the building. His two lawyers were intercepted -- one of them got to go inside after a struggle," the lawyer said.
Xie Yanyi, who represented Lu at the hearing, dismissed the evidence brought by officials against Lu at the hearing.
"The allegations made by the investigators during the hearing over Lu Siwei's so-called violations of law and discipline were entirely fictitious; they didn't hold water," Xie told RFA.
He said the hearing had ended with the suspension of Lu's license.
"The Sichuan department of justice made no attempt to investigate the allegations, and just issued a notice of suspension of [Lu's] license without bothering to verify the details," Xie said. "It should at least have conducted a preliminary investigation."
'Illegal persecution'
He said the conduct of the hearing was tantamount to persecution.
"Everyone inside the room were insiders; this was basically a behind-closed-doors hearing," he said. "The whole process was illegal right from the start."
"Rushing to an administrative punishment in such a way ... is essentially illegal persecution," Xie said.
Consular staff sent by foreign diplomatic missions, including those of Canada, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom and the United States, were also denied entry to the hearing, which was then held behind closed doors.
The lawyer said there was a strong police presence outside the building, with checkpoints at either end of the street.
"The Department of Justice has set up police checkpoints at both ends of the road," the lawyer said. "I also saw a large police vehicle outside and seven or eight smaller ones."
"There are actually not as many police officers in uniform as plainclothes ... [the plainclothes officers] are guarding the place very tightly by following people and coming forward [when they approach the building]."
Fellow rights attorney Ren Quanniu, who also faces the loss of his lawyer's license for defending another of the Hong Kong 12, Xu Yan, wife of rights attorney Yu Wensheng, were taken away by police, the lawyer said.
"There was a standoff between them and the intercepting police officers," the lawyer said. "Some people who had gotten involved in a more intense altercation were taken straight to the local police station."
"Initially, the police denied them water, but they are saying that they have now been given lunch," the lawyer said.
Large-scale purge of lawyers since 2015
Lu and Ren both received notification around New Year that their licenses were being reviewed by their local judicial affairs bureaus because they had "posted inappropriate remarks" online.
Lu, who was never allowed to visit his client Quinn Moon in Yantian Detention Center in Shenzhen, despite being hired by her family, was particularly vocal in the months following the initial detention of the 12 protesters aged 16 to 33 by the China Coast Guard on Aug. 23, repeatedly commenting about his attempts to gain access to his client, to no avail.
In a Dec. 31 notice sent to Ren, who was hired by the family of Wong Wai-yin but similarly prevented from carrying out his instructions, judicial authorities in the central province of Henan, said his license was also under review for "violating Chinese law and professional guidelines for lawyers."
Ren's hearing will be held on Jan. 19.
On Dec. 31, 2020, a court in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong handed down jail terms of up to three years to 10 of the 12 Hong Kong protesters detained on Aug. 23 as they tried to flee a national security crackdown in the city, on charges linked to "illegally crossing a border."
The Yantian District People's Court in Guangdong's Shenzhen city sentenced Ren's client Tang Kai-yin to three years' imprisonment for "organizing others to cross a border illegally," while fellow activist Quinn Moon -- Lu's client -- was jailed for two years on the same charge.
Fellow defendants Cheng Tsz-ho, Cheung Chun-fu, Li Tsz-yin, Andy Li, Wong Wai-yin, Kok Tsz-Lun, Jim Man-him, and Cheung Ming-jyu were each jailed for seven months each for "illegally crossing a border" and fined 10,000 yuan each.
The remaining two detainees -- Liu Tsz-man and Hoang Lam-fuk -- were sent back to Hong Kong after the authorities said they wouldn't pursue charges against them, as they were under 18 at the time of their detention.
All 12 detainees were consistently denied access to defense attorneys hired by their families and allocated government-approved attorneys to represent them at a trial that was effectively held behind closed doors.
Since beginning a nationwide crackdown in July 2015, authorities in provinces and cities across China have conducted large-scale purges of lawyers deemed not to be toeing the party line, with hundreds losing their licenses in Hunan alone in September 2020.
On January 4, Attorney Ren Quanniu received a notice from Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials, employed by Henan’s department of justice, informing him that the government had revoked his license to practice law in China. Lawyer Ren believes this ruling relates to the cases of “12 Hong Kongers,” and imprisoned “Shanghai Lawyer Zhang Zhan."
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Administrative Harassment, Denial Fair Trial
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to fair trial, Right to work
- HRD
- Lawyer
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Jan 7, 2021
- Event Description
On Jan. 7, the Pizhou Municipal People's Court in the eastern province of Jiangsu jailed journalist Li Xinde for five years after finding him guilty of "illegal business activity."
Li’s son Li Chao was handed a one-year jail term at the same time.
'A very dangerous business'
Li was first detained by police in October 2019 and placed in "residential surveillance at a designated location (RSDL)," not long after he published a claim that a court in Tianjin had wrongfully convicted a businessman.
Li, an investigative reporter, founded and ran the China Public Watchdog Network, which had a focus on exposing corrupt officials.
Beijing-based rights lawyer Liu Xiaoyuan commented via Twitter: "To speak out on behalf of those suffering injustice in today's society, and to monitor the agencies wielding state power, is a very dangerous business."
Zhang Yu, who heads the writers' group Independent Chinese PEN, said charges of "illegal business activity" are often brought against peaceful critics of the CCP.
"The main charge used to suppress freedom of speech in China is incitement to subvert state power, but they have to show in what part of their speech or writing they did that," Zhang told RFA.
"They may use illegal business activity if what they said was particularly sensitive, or if they can't really find evidence to support [subversion] charges in what they said or wrote," Zhang said. "It has nothing to do with [the defendant] actually having conducted illegal business activity."
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Dec 18, 2020
- Event Description
The Supreme Court on Friday initiated contempt proceedings against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and cartoonist Rachita Taneja for scandalising the court and the highest judiciary with their tweets.
A three-judge Bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R. Subhash Reddy and M.R. Shah issued notice asking Mr. Kamra and Ms. Taneja to show cause why they should not be punished for contempt of court.
Both Ms. Taneja and Mr. Kamra have been exempted from personal appearance in court. Usually, persons facing contempt action have to be present during the hearing.
The notice to them is returnable in six weeks.
On Thursday, the Bench had heard petitioners seeking contempt action against the duo and decided to pass its orders after a day.
The petitioners, mostly law students and lawyers, had moved the Supreme Court after getting the statutory consent for contempt action from Attorney General K.K. Venugopal.
In the case against Mr. Kamra, law student Shrirang Katneshwarkar’s counsel Nishant Katneshwarkar had submitted that the tweets by the comic were scandalous.
Mr. Katneshwarkar had given a date-wise chronology of the various tweets of the comedian.
Mr. Venugopal had consented to contempt action against Mr. Kamra, saying the tweets were grossly vulgar and obnoxious.
Mr. Kamra had refused to apologise or retract the tweets. Instead, he had tweeted that he wished to “volunteer” the time that may be allotted for hearing his contempt case to others “who have not been as lucky and privileged as I am to jump the queue”.
The AG had also found Ms. Taneja’s cartoons, which she had tweeted, scandalous with an intent to undermine the judiciary. The cartoons concern the top court’s grant of bail to Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami.
Mr. Venugopal had, in his consent letter, said the tweets carried the “gross insinuation” that the court had “ceased to be an impartial organ of the State”.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Artist, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- Pakistan
- Initial Date
- Jan 2, 2021
- Event Description
Thousands of Pakistani Internet users have called for boycotts of these two Urdu-language services and have threatened their journalists in the course of a two-week-old hate and defamation campaign.
A video posted on 2 January on Siasat.pk, a news and discussion site that supports Pakistan’s ruling party and armed forces, attacks the “personal opinions and political inclinations” of BBC Urdu’s journalists. Shared by thousands of people on Twitter, it also accuses the BBC of pursuing an editorial policy that is “against the army and the government.”
The surnames, first names, jobs and Twitter account details of ten BBC Urdu journalists were posted online at the same time as the video. Analysis of the comments indicates that this campaign is being orchestrated in reprisal for several editorials and op-ed pieces regarded as overly critical of the authorities.
“Surprise”
One of the 10 journalists attacked in the video is Asma Shirazi, who received the Peter Mackler Award for Courageous and Ethical Journalism in 2014. “I’m told to be less critical,” she told RSF. “This is not the first time I’ve received such threats. I’m being bombarded because of my opinions. This online vilification is part of a grand design to silence professional and independent journalists.”
Shirazi said she had received threatening calls. By way of a threat, one caller told her that she could “get surprise” if she did not stop writing critical op-ed pieces for BBC Urdu. “I don’t know what surprise they could give me,” she said. ”One surprise might be the discovery of drugs or explosives in my car during a roadside search.”
Threats were also made against Pakistani journalists working for The Independent in late December after its Urdu website posted a story about the deaths of four Pakistani soldiers in a helicopter crash. They were criticized for not referring to the dead soldiers as “martyrs” – the term that the Pakistani armed forces try to impose in such cases.
When reached by RSF, the editor of The Independent’s Urdu-language news site confirmed that his staff were concerned about this hate campaign. Thousands of Internet users have been calling for the site to be banned using the #BoycottIndyUrdu hashtag.
“Extremely dangerous”
“These online hate campaigns, orchestrated by trolls at the military high command’s behest, not only threaten press freedom but are also extremely dangerous for the journalists who are the targets of the death threats,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk.
“Calling for journalists to be murdered, with the aim of intimidating and silencing anyone critical of the authorities, is completely unacceptable. We urge the federal government to disown such calls, and we ask the prosecutor’s office to initiate proceedings against all those responsible for these threats.”
RSF accused the Pakistani authorities of complicity by failing to take action to stop the online harassment of outspoken women journalists in August 2020, when the harassment was condemned by a women journalists collective.
Pakistan is ranked 145th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2020 World Press Freedom Index.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Death threat, Intimidation and Threats, Online Attack and Harassment, Vilification
- Rights Concerned
- Media freedom, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to protect reputation
- HRD
- Media Worker, WHRD
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Non-state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Jan 11, 2021
- Event Description
Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 24 ordered the arrest of Rappler CEO Maria Ressa and reporter Rambo Talabong for cyber libel over the latter's investigative story about an alleged corruption scheme at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (CSB).
In that scheme, students allegedly paid P20,000 to pass their thesis subject.
Judge Maria Victoria Soriano-Villadolid issued arrest warrants against Ressa and Talabong on Monday, January 11, and recommended bail amounting to P30,000 each. It was Talabong's first arrest warrant and his first libel case, while it was Ressa's 10th arrest warrant and her 3rd cyber libel case in less than two years.
Talabong, who wrote the allegedly libelous story, posted bail on Thursday, January 14, while Ressa posted bail the day before, on Wednesday, January 13 – both ahead of the service of the warrants against them. Arraignment and pre-trial of the case has been set for February 4 at 8:30 am.
Reacting to the cyber libel case against him, Talabong said, "I stand by our story. I spent weeks reporting, and weeks more doing everything, to ensure that the story is fair. This case further proves that decriminalizing libel is imperative. No journalist should be intimidated for doing his job."
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To date, there have been 28 libel/cyber libel cases filed against journalists under President Rodrigo Duterte, as of November 28, 2020, according to the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines. The story
The cyber libel complaint was filed in October 2020 by Benilde faculty member Ariel Pineda, whom a student accused of accepting payments in exchange for passing students in their thesis subjects under him.
Talabong wrote the story, "Thesis for sale: Benilde students say they paid P20,000 to pass," published on January 23, 2020, based on a documented complaint filed with the school against Pineda by a student – AK Paras – who spoke on the record. Ressa was not at all involved in the writing and editing of Talabong's story.
CSB confirmed to Rappler, as indicated in the story, that the school was already investigating Paras' complaint.
In his complaint, Pineda said that Talabong's story contained "libelous, malicious and defamatory statements using their own website and linking it to the other social media platform to ensure that they accomplished their purpose of attacking the complainant's credibility, to discredit, demean and to shame him."
As mentioned in his story, Talabong sought Pineda's side but the faculty member said through email that he would consult his superior first. Though the draft story was written in December 2019, it was not published until January 2020 to give Pineda enough time to respond to repeated requests to air his side.
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"Will have to consult your request with my superior and keep you posted," Pineda wrote Talabong in an email on January 2, 2020.
Talabong followed up with Pineda 3 more times, and tried to reach Pineda through Benilde's Export Management Program Department phone line, but he no longer received any response.
After the story was published, CSB Chancellor Robert Tang released a statement, saying that the school's Human Resources Services was "in the process of completing the investigation." No malice
In his affidavit submitted to Manila Senior Assistant City Prosecutor John Allen Farinas, Talabong said: "The care and prudence taken in verifying the information and the extent to which the side of Mr Pineda had been sought show the due diligence on my, and Rappler's, part before the story was even written and posted. This belies Mr Pineda's unfounded claim of malice."
Talabong, through Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) lawyer Ted Te, former spokesperson of the Supreme Court, argued that "there was no malice in the writing and posting of the story, which is impressed with public interest and also falls under privilege." In his story, Talabong specified that Rappler would update the article once he gets a reply from Pineda, which he never did.
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But in a resolution dated December 7, 2020, Farinas said he found "probable cause" to charge Talabong and Ressa with libel.
In a statement, Te said, "We are studying the resolution, which we disagree with, and will exhaust all possible legal remedies to have the same dismissed." Decriminalize libel
Te also said this new cyber libel case is "disturbing because it seems like cyber libel is now the first option in case of disagreement on reporting. That is the problem with libel and cyber libel laws, which make these acts criminal – a private dispute becomes a public offense where the government gets involved; as a result, the implications on freedom of expression and of the press are significant. Perhaps Congress should consider whether it is high time to decriminalize libel and cyber libel."
For its part, Rappler said in a statement that it stands by the story and the "rigorous process that we went through before publishing it. While libel suits are part of the risks that come with the profession, we also know that they are a tool that is used to intimidate journalists who expose wrongdoing."
"We reiterate the multi-sectoral call to decriminalize libel and to stop these relentless attacks against journalists who, despite obstacles thrown their way, continue to shine the light on the pandemic and other forms of everyday terror."
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Media freedom, Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Related Events
- Philippines: Justice department indicts Maria Ressa and former Rappler reporter for cyberlibel
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Dec 31, 2020
- Event Description
The Kashmir Walla’s account was suspended without any possibility of appeal on 31 December following the retweeting of an article about the use of violence by Indian security forces against a religious procession in Kashmir – an article that the magazine published last August.
“The tweet attracted attention from Twitter users who we believe are part of right-wing social media cells and who may have reported the tweet en masse,” The Kashmir Walla editor Fahad Shah told RSF.
India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has an “IT cell” (information technology cell) that is notorious for manipulating social media algorithms in order to get the accounts of critical journalists and media outlets suspended automatically. This troll army was one of the world’s 20 worst digital predators that RSF named in March 2020.
Shad added: “It is unfortunate that we – as an independent and credible news source from Kashmir – were not given a chance to respond before the restrictions were placed on our Twitter account. Moreover, Twitter hasn't responded to the appeal that we filed.”
Total opaqueness
“We call on Twitter India’s administrators to restore The Kashmir Walla’s account immediately,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk. “The total opaqueness surrounding the social media’s easily manipulable algorithms has been extremely prejudicial to press freedom in this case. As well as transparency, we ask Twitter to act responsibly by creating a channel through which this kind of sudden blocking can be challenged.”
In order to combat this kind of exploitation of social media algorithms by unreliable information providers, RSF has created the Journalism Trust Initiative, which is designed to give a competitive advantage to journalism that respects ethical standards – the kind of journalism to which The Kashmir Walla is committed.
India is ranked 142nd out of 180 countries in RSF's 2020 World Press Freedom Index.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Censorship, Online Attack and Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Suspected state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- Kazakhstan
- Initial Date
- Jan 10, 2021
- Event Description
Dozens of people protesting Kazakhstan’s opposition-free election were detained in the country’s capital and in its principal city, but were released after several hours.
Five parties are competing Sunday for seats in the lower house of parliament, but all are loyal to the government. The country’s only registered opposition party declined to field candidates.
More than 30 demonstrators were detained in the principal city of Almaty, according to the news agency Akipress. The Interfax news agency said more protesters were also detained in the capital, Nur-Sultan.
Deputy Interior Minister Arystangani Zapparov said late Sunday that all those detained had been released without charges.
The ruling Nur Otan party is expected to maintain or increase its current domination of the parliament of the former Soviet republic, which is rich in oil, gas and mineral resources.
The party is headed by former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who was in power from independence in 1991 until his resignation last year.
Although he stepped down, he retains significant power as head of the national security council.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Jan 8, 2021
- Event Description
Former Chinese journalist and renowned critic of internet censorship Zhang Jialong was sentenced to 18 months in prison on January 8 for his remarks on social media that were allegedly aimed at "spreading false information and provoking trouble". The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the assault on freedom of speech and calls on Chinese authorities to overturn the verdict and release Zhang immediately.
The 32-year-old former journalist with Caijing, a Beijing-based magazine, and Tencent was found guilty of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a broadly defined charge often levelled by the authorities against those who are critical of the Chinese government.
Zhang was jailed for 18 months, his wife Shao Yuan said after being notified by Zhang’s lawyer on January 8.
Zhang was arrested at his residence in Guiyang, Guizho Province on August 12, 2019 and has been held in police custody ever since. The authorities later accused him of spreading false information defaming the Chinese Communist Party on Twitter.
His Twitter posts related to human rights issues and internet freedoms in China.
Zhang has been detained since August and is therefore expected to be released on February 12. Nevertheless, Zhang reportedly vowed to appeal against the ruling.
Zhang has been targeted by the Chinese authorities for several years. In February 2014, hemade headlines after asking the then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to help “tear down this great firewall that blocks the Internet” during their meeting in Beijing.
He later published an op-ed in the global magazine Foreign Policy, calling on the U.S. government to deny visas to those involved in building and maintaining the Chinese great firewall of censorship. He was subsequently fired from Tencent.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to fair trial, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Blogger/ Social Media Activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Dec 13, 2020
- Event Description
On 26 December 2020, one of Yu Wensheng's defence lawyers received the Jiangsu Provincial Higher People's Court's appeal decision upholding the original verdict and sentence against the human rights defender. The appeal decision was reached before the defence lawyers had the opportunity to submit their defence statement to the court and before they were able to make copies of and review all the case files.
The appeal decision was dated 13 December 2020, but when Xu Yan, Yu Wensheng's wife, phoned the Court on 16 December, a court official told her that the Court had yet to reach a decision.
It is not yet clear when, or if, Yu Wensheng, who is currently detained at the Xuzhou Detention Centre, will be transferred to a prison. Detention centre officials have rejected Xu Yan's requests to visit him, on the pretext of COVID-19 regulations. Xu Yan has requested the authorities to; allow family visitation as soon as possible, transfer him back to Beijing where she and their child live, and guarantee him access to adequate treatment for medical conditions affecting his right hand and his teeth.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to fair trial, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Lawyer
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Jan 7, 2021
- Event Description
On 7 January 2021, the Guwahati High Court rejected the bail plea of human rights defender, Akhil Gogoi. The defender has been in jail since 12 December 2019, in connection with a case relating to the Anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Since his initial arrest, multiple First Informations Reports have been booked against him, all relating to the anti CAA protests, with charges including sedition. While in detention, in July 2020, Akhil Gogoi tested positive for COVID-19 and was moved to a hospital for immediate care.
A special NIA court had previously granted bail to Akhil Gogoi in one of the cases being probed by the NIA. Currently, the defender is being detained at the Guwahati Central Jail.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to fair trial, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, RTI activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Related Events
- India: RTI activist detained, allegedly tortured
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Jan 6, 2021
- Event Description
The Hong Kong police served four media organisations with court warrants requiring the handing in of internal documents related to July's primary elections on January 6. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Hong Kong Journalists' Association (HKJA), expressed concern about the chilling effect that such acts will have on the press and called on Hong Kong authorities to stop harassing journalists and media organisations.
On January 6, the Hong Kong police’s national security department turned up at the offices of online news outlets StandNews and InMedia, as well as media group Next Digital and its subsidiary newspaper Apple Daily with court orders. The media organisations were reportedly asked to hand in information about the pro-democracy camp’s primary elections held in July 2020 within seven days.
The police did not search the newsrooms.
Steve Li Kwai-Wah, a senior superintendent at the National Security Division, said during a press conference on January 6 that the authorities were not seeking to obtain journalistic materials. According to Li, the police were asking the media outlets to provide assistance in the investigation.
Both Apple Daily and StandNews said they would be seeking legal advice on the matter. Editor-in-chief of StandNews Chung Pui-kuen also said he was asked not to disclose details about the court order.
This came hours after the Hong Kong authorities arrested 53 pro-democracy leaders for their involvement in the primaries last year, including former lawmakers, district councillors, activists, and scholars. The authorities said the unofficial vote to choose opposition candidates for the city’s now postponed Legislative Council elections was part of a plan to “overthrow” the government.Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam, a journalist-turned-politician who used to work with StandNews and the BBC, was one of the detainees.
According to Ho’s Facebook admin, the police searched Ho’s residence and took away business cards and electronic devices she had used when working for the BBC. Ho was released on bail late on January 7.
- Impact of Event
- 4
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to liberty and security, Right to privacy
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Dec 14, 2020
- Event Description
On 14 December 2020, Chang Weiping's parents held a protest in front of the Gaoxin branch of the Baoji Municipal Public Security Bureau, seeking his release and raising concerns about the risk of torture in detention. After the protest, both parents were summoned for interrogation several times. A CCTV camera was installed outside their home in Fengxiang county to monitor their movement and any visitors. Their mobile phones have since been confiscated and they are under de facto incommunicado house arrest.
One of Chang Weiping's brothers-in-law and his father-in-law also had their mobile phones confiscated. Chang Weiping's older sister was prohibited from visiting her father. Chen Zijuan, Chang Weiping's wife, has not been able to contact her father-in-law for over two weeks.
On 6 January 2021, Chen Zijuan submitted a complaint to the Baoji Municipal Procuratorate against local public security officials who visited her in Shenzhen eight times between 22 October 2020, the day Chang Weiping was detained, and 23 December 2020. The officials warned her not to conduct public advocacy for her husband. They also pressured her to delete her social media posts on Weibo about her husband's situation. The officials said she would lose her job if she defied their demands.
The two human rights lawyers who were initially hired to assist Chang Weiping had to withdraw from the case due to intense pressure from the authorities. Two new lawyers who took over the case said they could not give any media interviews due to official pressure. The new lawyers' first attempt to meet Chang Weiping was not successful. In a statement issued on 16 December 2020, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders said the withdrawal of Chang Weiping's first lawyers was "telling of the gravity and scale of the situation faced by human rights defenders and lawyers in China.”
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Judicial Harassment, Restrictions on Movement, Surveillance
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Freedom of movement, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Family of HRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Related Events
- China: prominent lawyer arrested, held incommunicado
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Aug 6, 2020
- Event Description
Windel Bolinget is an indigenous rights defender and the Chairperson of the Cordillera PeoplesAlliance (CPA), an alliance of over 300 indigenous people’s organisations in the Cordillera region ofthe Philippines. The human rights defender has been leading many of CPA’s campaigns againsthuman rights violations such as extrajudicial killings, trumped-up cases, enforced disappearance,harassment, and intimidation of Cordillera indigenous peoples. He has also been at the forefront oflocal movements against large-scale mining projects, mega-dams and other projects that pose athreat to the environment.
On 6 August 2020, a criminal case was filed at Davao del Norte, against ten individuals, includingindigenous rights defender Windel Bolinget, for their alleged involvement in the murder of GaritoMalibato, a member of a local indigenous peoples organisation called Karadyawan, on 21 March2018.
On 25 September 2020, the Regional Trial Court in Tagum City issued a warrant of arrest formurder against the individuals. However, the CAP and Windel Bolinget were only made aware ofthe arrest warrant in the last week of December 2020.The murder charges brought against the defender appear to be completely fabricated. WindelBolinget has never been to Barangay Gupitan, Kapalong, where Garito Malibato was murdered.Following the murder, local indigenous organisations pointed to a paramilitary group as theperpetrators. Further, a relative of the victim also expressed that Malibato had received severaldeath threats from the same paramilitary group before he was killed. With the defender yet to be arrested, police intelligence agents have regularly been approachingrelatives, friends and colleagues of the human rights defender, interrogating them for informationon his whereabouts. There has also been heavy physical surveillance, with men, believed to bemembers and assets of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police,walking around Windel Bolinget’s house and also the regional secretariat of the CPA, in search forthe defender.Windel Bolinget’s family and colleagues fear that, if the defender is arrested, he maybe subjected to the “tokhang”-style execution (extrajudicial killing under the pretext of “resistingarrest” or “nanlaban/fought back”), which is a common occurrence in the country.This is not the first time that the defender has been targeted for his peaceful human rights work. In2006, Windel Bolinget was included in a military hit list, along with other leaders of the CPA. InFebruary 2018, the Department of Justice’s terrorist proscription list included the defender’s nameand that of former CPA leaders. Their names were eventually dropped from the list due to lack ofproof. Since mid 2020, the targeting of the defender has intensified, with many pages on socialmedia branding him, his family and his colleagues as terrorists. On 10 December 2020, flyers witha photo of the defender and text calling him immoral and recruiter of the armed revolutionarygroup, New Peoples Army, were scattered along the road 80 from his house in La Trinidad,Benguet to Baguio City.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Family of HRD, Indigenous peoples' rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Related Events
- Philippines: indigenous coalition, its leaders and their family members targeted by online red-tagging campaign
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Jan 6, 2021
- Event Description
The Hong Kong government should not file charges against the 53 pro-democracy politicians arbitrarily arrested on January 6, 2021, Human Rights Watch said today. All were arrested for “subversion” under Hong Kong’s draconian National Security Law (NSL), which the Chinese government imposed on June 30, 2020.
The 53 men and women arrested span the spectrum of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. They include veteran politicians and activists, such as Leung “Long Hair” Kwok-hung and Claudio Mo, and newcomers who joined the movement during the 2019 protests. The latter include Jeffrey Andrews, a social worker serving the city’s ethnic minority community, and Lee Chi Yung, a disability rights advocate. Many represent a broad cross-section of grassroots society long excluded from the city’s governance.
“Hong Kong authorities’ claims that discussing candidates and advocating for government action is somehow subversive is ludicrous,” said Maya Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “It’s increasingly clear that Beijing’s commitment to Hong Kong’s ‘high degree of autonomy’ isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.”
Hong Kong police said that a public opinion poll conducted in July 2020 regarding pro-democracy candidates for an upcoming Legislative Council (LegCo) election constituted “subversion.” They said those arrested violated article 22 of the National Security Law, which states that anyone who “organizes, plans, commits or participates” in “seriously interfering, disrupting or undermining” the performance of the Hong Kong or central government bodies are subject to a penalty of up to life in prison for “principal offenders.” Among the 53 arrested, police said, six were organizers.
The legal definitions of “subversion” and other NSL crimes are overly broad and vague, and can include the peaceful exercise of human rights, enshrined in Hong Kong’s de facto constitution, the Basic Law. These rights are also protected under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which is incorporated into Hong Kong’s legal framework via the Basic Law and expressed in the Bill of Rights Ordinance.
All but one of those arrested are being released on bail. Charges have yet to be brought against the 53, though they have to surrender their passports as a condition of bail. The prosecution said that Wu Chi-wai, former chairman of the Democratic Party, has kept one of his passports even though he was ordered to surrender his travel documents as part of bail conditions in an earlier case. Wu remains detained.
In addition, the police have frozen HK$1.6 million (US$206,000) in connection with the poll and delivered court warrants to four news organizations that require them to hand over information to the police for investigation. Hong Kong police should release Wu immediately, lift all bail conditions, and return everyone’s travel documents, Human Rights Watch said.
Since the Chinese government imposed the National Security Law in June, the authorities have intimidated and arbitrarily arrested pro-democracy activists, and encouraged people to report on one another to remove pro-democracy figures from key sectors of society, including education, the media, and civil service.
Beijing and the Hong Kong government have also accelerated their assault on the previously semi-democratic LegCo. Since 2016, they have disqualified pro-democracy activists from running for seats or unseated them after they were elected. Following the passage of the National Security Law, the Hong Kong government delayed the September 2020 LegCo elections for a year. Beijing then expelled four pro-democracy members of the legislature, leading other pro-democracy legislators to resign in protest. The arrests of the 53 politicians appears part of Beijing’s increasing actions to exert full control over the LegCo, Human Rights Watch said.
Concerned governments, including the United Kingdom, European Union countries, and the incoming Biden administration in the United States, should press for appointment of a United Nations special mandate holder to monitor and report on Hong Kong’s human rights developments, Human Rights Watch said. They should also impose coordinated targeted sanctions on officials responsible for violating the human rights of people in Hong Kong. Legislators around the world should express solidarity with their Hong Kong counterparts.
“Governments should urgently take concerted and concrete actions to ensure that Beijing pays a price for its escalating abusive behavior,” Wang said. “Standing with Hong Kong’s democrats needs to be more than a rhetorical commitment.”
- Impact of Event
- 53
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to liberty and security, Right to political participation
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, Public Servant, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- Viet Nam
- Initial Date
- Jan 8, 2021
- Event Description
On January 8, the Higher People’s Court in Ho Chi Minh City rejected the appeals of four members of the unsanctioned group Hiến Pháp (Constitution), upholding the sentences given by the People’s Court of HCM City at the first-instance hearing on July 31 last year, Defend the Defenders has learned.
According to the court’s decision, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hanh has to serve eight years in prison and three years of probation while Mr. Ngo Van Dung, Mr. Le Quy Loc and Mr. Ho Dinh Cuong have to spend next five years behind bar followed by two years of probation each. They were arrested in early September 2018 on the allegation of “disruption of security” under Article 118 of the Criminal Code.
Nearly five months ago, at the first-instance hearing, the People’s Court of HCM City convicted eight members of the unsanctioned group Hiến Pháp (Constitution) of “disruption of security” for their active participation in the mass demonstration to protest two bills on Special Economic Zones and Cyber Security in HCM City on June 10, 2018 and their plan to hold peaceful protests in early September of the same year. After just one day review, the court gave Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hanh eight years in prison, Mrs. Hoang Thi Thu Vang- seven, Ms. Doan Thi Hong two and half years, Mr. Ngo Van Dung, Mr. Do The Hoa and Mr. Le Quy Loc five years each, Mr. Ho Dinh Cuong four and half years, and Mr. Tran Thanh Phuong three and half years in prison.
In addition, Mr. Dung, Mr. Cuong, Mr. Phuong, and Ms. Hong were given two years of probation after serving their imprisonment. Four others were given three-year probation.
After the trial, four of them, Ms. Hanh, Mr. Dung, Mr. Loc and Mr. Cuong protested the court’s decisions and appealed.
Hiến Pháp was established in 2017 with the aim of enhancing civil rights in Vietnam by disseminating the country’s Constitution which was ratified by the communist-controlled parliament in 2013. The eight convicted members, together with others of the group were active during the mass demonstration in HCM City on June 10, 2018 in which tens of thousands of people from all social classes rallied on streets to protest two bills on Special Economic Zones and Cyber Security. The first bill is considered to favor Chinese investors to purchase land in Vietnam amid increasing concerns of Beijing’s intensifying aggressiveness in the East Sea (South China Sea). The second which was approved by the communist-controlled parliament and became effective from January 1, 2019, is considered an effective tool to silence online government critics.
Members of the group planned to hold the second peaceful demonstration in early September of the same year on the occasion of Vietnam’s Independence Day (September 2) to protest the socio-economic policies of the communist regime. However, they were abducted by security forces in HCM City a few days before the action date. Their fate and whereabouts remained unknown for months as the police held them incommunicado without informing their families, possibly rising to the level of enforced disappearance under international law, and even after the families had been informed of the detention they remained incommunicado for nearly a year.
In mid-April last year, Mr. Dung and Mr. Loc were brutally beaten by police officers while being held in Phan Dang Luu temporary detention center under the authority of HCM City Police Department. Due to the severe injuries, both were taken to a hospital for urgent treatment for ten days.
Despite doing nothing harmful for the country, Hiến Pháp group has been targeted by Vietnam’s communist regime. Two members of the group Pham Minh The and Huynh Truong Ca were convicted of “abusing democratic freedom” and “anti-state propaganda” with respective imprisonment of two years and five and half years in 2018-2019. Mr. The was released on July 10 last year, three months before his imprisonment term was set to end.
Three other members of the group fled to Thailand to seek political asylum to avoid being punished by the Vietnamese regime.
Ms. Le Thi Binh became the latest activist being arrested last year, got detained on December 22 and charged with “abusing democratic freedom.” Binh is also a member of the Hiến Pháp group.
All of them are listed as prisoners of conscience by Defend the Defenders. According to the Hanoi-based human rights group, Vietnam’s communist regime is holding at least 258 prisoners of conscience.
- Impact of Event
- 4
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to fair trial, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 15, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Nov 30, 2020
- Event Description
Semestinya Natan Weya, mahasiswa Universitas Pattimura (Unpatti) dan 20 kawan, menggelar demonstrasi peringatan tahunan 1 Desember Papua beberapa hari lalu. Tapi semua batal karena tempat tinggal mereka dikepung sejak malam sebelumnya. Reaksi ini dianggap tak patut.
TNI-Polri menyambangi asrama yang terletak di Jalan Ir. M. Putuhena, Kecamatan Teluk Ambon, Kota Ambon, ketika para penghuni sedang mempersiapkan demonstrasi pada Senin 30 November 2020 sekitar pukul 22.30 WIT. Datang pula seorang dosen Unpatti--yang dikenal Natan mengajar di Fakultas Ekonomi tapi tak tahu siapa namanya, Ketua RT, dan sekretaris desa.
Ketua RT mengatakan ia hendak mengecek apa betul ada penghuni baru di asrama itu. Tentu alasan ini tak masuk akal karena aparat turut serta. Para penghuni pun meminta 'tamu' angkat kaki, apalagi mereka datang hampir tengah malam.
Para tamu memang pergi, tapi itu hanya awal dari intimidasi.
"Setelah itu TNI, Polri, dan intelijen memblokade dua jalan tempat tinggal kami. Dibantu warga setempat," jelas Natan kepada reporter Tirto, Selasa (1/12/2020). Selain blokade, sekira pukul 03.30, teriakan makian terdengar empat kali. "Mereka melontarkan kata-kata makian [seperti] anjing, babi, binatang, goblok, dan segala macam. Tapi kami mahasiswa Papua tidak membalas." Terjadi pula pelemparan batu.Para penghuni tentu saja ketakutan. Perut mereka kosong tapi tak bisa keluar.
Seorang penghuni asrama, Abner Holago, lewat Facebook mengatakan rombongan berdiri di depan pintu menanyakan jumlah penghuni asrama dan apakah ada selain orang Papua dan yang bukan penghuni. Perdebatan mulai terjadi ketika rombongan memaksa masuk ke ruang tamu. Dia juga menayangkan beberapa video lain.
Para penghuni dituding “tidak memperingati 17 Agustus, tidak tahu terima kasih.” Juga menerima kalimat makian seperti 'semerlap' yang artinya 'biadab'.
Pemantauan oleh “[aparat] berpakaian preman” terus berlangsung meski intensitasnya berkurang. Para penghuni pun gagal menggelar demonstrasi. “Tapi kami bisa keluar beli makan dan minum. Mereka hanya pantau-pantau dengan motor, lewat-lewat saja,” katanya.
Kasubag Humas Polresta Pulau Ambon dan Pulau-Pulau Lease Ipda Izak Leatemia membantah apa yang mereka lakukan disebut pengepungan. Ia bahkan bilang video yang beredar bohong belaka. “Video hoaks yang disebarkan melalui akun FB bernama Abner Holago memang membuat marah warga setempat, namun tidak ada pengepungan jalan masuk maupun mes mahasiswa ini,” ujar dia, Selasa, dikutip dari Antara.
Dolvis juga membantah ada pengepungan. “Saya bersama perangkat RT dan masyarakat masuk mes itu hanya untuk menanyakan ada orang yang dicurigai. Karena ketika kami masuk, ada yang lari ke belakang,” katanya. Izak bilang awalnya asrama itu didatangi oleh warga dari salah satu desa di Pulau Haruku, Kabupaten Maluku Tengah. Lantas Ketua RT 011/06 Dolvis da Costa beserta pejabat Desa Wayame Nur Alan La Saleman, anggota Bhabinkamtibmas dan personel Babinsa turut serta. Tujuannya untuk menanyakan identitas tamu.
Ketika para penghuni menolak, ada yang merekam kejadian itu dan membuat narasi seolah-olah mereka dikepung aparat. Kemudian rombongan balik badan. Meski demikian, guna menjaga situasi kondusif, personel polsek berjaga-jaga--yang bagi mahasiswa dianggap pengepungan dan membuat mereka takut.
Diskriminasi Bagi Direktur Lembaga Bantuan Hukum (LBH) Papua Emanuel Gobay, apa yang terjadi di Ambon ini memperkuat fakta diskriminasi dan stigma kerap kali menimpa orang-orang Papua. Orang-orang Papua sering dicurigai berlebihan karena etnis mereka. Sulit membayangkan kejadian serupa menimpa orang-orang non-Papua.
Stigma dan diskriminasi ini juga dipraktikkan oleh aparat. “Aparat keamanan itu bagian dari pemerintah, bertanggung jawab untuk melindungi,” kaya Gobay kepada reporter Tirto, Rabu (2/12/2020). Ia lantas mengutip Pasal 28 I ayat (4) UUD 1945, yang menyebut “perlindungan, pemajuan penegakan dan pemenuhan hak asasi manusia adalah tanggung jawab negara, terutama pemerintah.”
Selain itu, ia juga menegaskan masuknya aparat tanpa izin ke rumah merupakan tindak pidana sebagaimana yang diatur dalam Pasal 167 KUHP. Gobay berharap tak ada lagi kejadian pelanggaran hak konstitusi warga negara seperti ini.
Musni Umar, sosiolog dan Rektor Universitas Ibnu Chaldun, mengatakan dampak dari peristiwa ini tak lain adalah para mahasiswa “merasa dibenci” oleh lingkungan yang berbeda dari mereka. Itu semua hanya akan “mempertajam polarisasi” dan jelas-jelas “tidak ada yang diuntungkan.” Kepada reporter Tirto, Rabu, dia bilang bila kebencian menguat, maka bisa saja orang-orang Papua semakin teguh pendiriannya untuk memisahkan diri dari Indonesia. Oleh karena itulah dia bilang aparat semestinya bisa mengambil hati mereka secara bijak dan tanpa pendekatan kekuasaan. “Kalau rakyat, jangan diperlakukan seperti itu. Harus dilindungi,” katanya. Sementara menurut Koordinator Badan Pekerja Kontras Fatia Maulidiyanti, sulit melepaskan peristiwa ini dengan fakta bahwa itu terjadi satu hari sebelum peringatan 1 Desember. “Pengepungan juga bukan pertama kali terjadi. Ini bentuk ketidakadilan [yang] terus melembaga dan tidak pernah ditindaklanjuti oleh pemerintah,” katanya kepada reporter Tirto, Rabu.
Pengepungan serupa terjadi pada 16 Agustus tahun lalu. Asrama Mahasiswa Papua di Jalan Kalasan Nomor 10, Surabaya, Jawa Timur, dikepung aparat dan ormas karena para penghuninya dituduh merusak bendera merah putih--yang kemudian tak terbukti. Mereka juga diteriaki makian binatang. Asrama yang sama pada awal September dilempari karung berisi ular.
Pengepungan ini lantas memicu aksi protes besar-besaran di Papua dan di tempat lain selama berbulan-bulan.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Vilification
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to protect reputation
- HRD
- Minority rights defender, Student
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Non-state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 14, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Nov 17, 2020
- Event Description
Pembahasan soal otonomi khusus (otsus) Papua, yang akan berakhir pada 2021 nanti, terus berlanjut. Baru-baru ini salah satu forum legal yang membahas itu justru direpresi aparat, dalam hal ini kepolisian. Orang-orang yang terlibat ditangkapi karena dituduh merencanakan makar.
Salah satu orang yang ditangkap adalah Wensislaus Fatubun pada 17 November lalu. Ia berstatus Tenaga Ahli Majelis Rakyat Papua (MRP), representasi kultural di Papua yang memiliki wewenang tertentu dalam rangka perlindungan hak-hak orang asli Papua yang dibentuk berdasarkan Undang-Undang Nomor 21 Tahun 2001 tentang Otonomi Khusus Bagi Provinsi Papua.
Ia ditangkap ketika MRP tengah menyelenggarakan rapat dengar pendapat (RDP) wilayah, salah satu program kerja yang tujuannya mendengarkan aspirasi orang asli Papua (OAP) tentang otsus, berlangsung pada 17-18 November kemarin di gedung Vertenten Sai atau Aula Katedral Merauke.
Setelah RDP wilayah, mekanisme selanjutnya adalah menggelar RDP umum yang diikuti oleh MRP Papua-Papua Barat dan Forum Komunikasi Pimpinan Daerah Papua-Papua Barat.
Pada 15 November, sekitar pukul 22.00, Kapolres Merauke AKBP Untung Surianata bertemu dan meminta Pastor Hengky Kariwob (Vikjen Keuskupan Agung Merauke), Pastor John Kandam (Sekretaris Uskup), dan Pastor Anselmus Amo (Direktur SKP KAMe) di Keuskupan untuk tidak memfasilitasi RDP. Pastor Anselmus lantas menelepon Canisius Mandagi, Uskup Agung Keuskupan Agung Merauke. Uskup menegaskan RDP dapat dilakukan karena itu bukan kegiatan politik.
Setengah jam kemudian, beberapa polisi datang ke Hotel Grand Mandala, Hotel Pangkat, dan Hotel Valentine, tempat para peserta dan penyelenggara RDP menginap. “MRP diminta untuk ke polres malam itu juga untuk bertemu dengan kapolres,” ucap Fatubun dalam keterangan tertulis Kamis (19/11/2020).
Fatubun bersama Koordinator Tim RDP MRP wilayah Anim Ha, seorang staf MRP dan dua orang anggota MRP lain ke Polres Merauke untuk bertemu kapolres, tapi batal karena yang bersangkutan ternyata sudah pulang. Melalui ajudannya, kapolres bilang bertemu esok pagi saja. Pukul 08.46 keesokan harinya, mereka kembali menyambangi polres. Karena Kapolres lagi-lagi tak di tempat, rombongan menyerahkan surat kepada sespri kapolres dan memberikan nomor telepon untuk koordinasi.Sekitar pukul 11.00 sekelompok orang dari Buti berdemonstrasi di kantor Bupati menolak RDP MRP. Massa meminta agar otsus dilanjutkan dan pemekaran Provinsi Papua Selatan. Enam jam berikutnya, Fatubun cs memutuskan membatalkan RDP karena situasi tak kondusif dan mereka dalam pantauan kepolisian.
Pukul 22.00, polisi datang lagi ke hotel. Kali ini dengan membawa senjata laras panjang.
Pada 17 November, pukul 08.00 pagi, seorang pria berbaju merah dan bukan tamu duduk di depan hotel. Tim RDP curiga orang itu ialah intelijen. Dia hanya diam sekitar 30 menit lalu pergi. Satu jam berikutnya, ada dua orang yang diduga sebagai intelijen polres menyambangi penginapan. Mereka menanyakan ke pihak hotel soal jumlah dan penghuni kamar. Lantas mereka angkat kaki.
Pukul 10.00, ketika Fatubun sedang duduk di depan hotel, Kapolres Merauke bersama anak buahnya datang. Beberapa dari mereka membawa senjata laras panjang. Mereka menggeledah hotel dan kamar tim RDP. Saat itulah Fatubun ditangkap. “Sebelum menangkap saya, kapolres bertanya asal, pekerjaan, [serta] kepentingan saya di Merauke. Mereka minta KTP saya,” katanya.
Fatubun dimasukkan ke mobil Dalmas, sementara barang bawaannya dijadikan barang bukti. “Di mobil Dalmas, saya melihat Koordinator Tim RDP MRP, dua staf MRP, dan seorang peserta diborgol seperti saya.” Ia dan rekan-rekannya diinterogasi dan baru dibebaskan pada 18 November sekira pukul 16.45.
Kapolres Merauke AKBP Untung Surianata menyatakan dalam penggeledahan pada pagi jelang siang tanggal 17 November, ia dan rombongan menemukan sebuah pisau. “Lalu kenapa kami tangkap mereka? Karena ada buku makar, buku untuk mengajak merdeka di berbagai tempat, yang buku kuning itu,” ujar Untung kepada reporter Tirto, Kamis. Untung bilang buku itu sempat dibuang ke luar dari jendela hotel.Buku kuning itu berjudul ‘Pedoman Dasar Negara Republik Federal Papua Barat’, edisi pertama yang terbit Januari 2012, dikeluarkan oleh Sekretariat Negara Republik Federal Papua Barat. Kata sambutan buku ditulis oleh oleh Presiden NRFPB Forkorus Yaboisembut.
Berdasar berkas yang didapatkan reporter Tirto, ditemukan juga dokumen Polisi Negara Republik Federal Papua Barat Nomor: 001/KKP-NRFPB/IV/2012 yang ditandatangani oleh Wakil Kepala Kepolisian Negara Republik Federal Papua Barat Letnan Jenderal Fery Fernando Yensenem tentang Penunjukan Kepala dan Wakil Kepala Kepolisian Negara Bagian Ha-Anim.
“Sementara kita (Indonesia) punya pangdam, kapolda, bupati, dan gubernur. Karena mereka makar, kami tegas begitu tak apa. Ini bukan kasus maling ayam atau sandal jepit,” katanya, lalu mengatakan kalau apa yang mereka lakukan lebih baik karena di negara lain para terduga makar dapat ditembak mati.
Ada 54 orang yang ditangkap dan dibawa ke kantor polisi. Dia bilang “harusnya semua [jadi] tersangka karena ada buku itu.”
Dua dari mereka dinyatakan positif COVID-19 setelah dites. Ini alasan mengapa mereka akhirnya dibebaskan. “Kami juga punya tahanan. Nanti rawan.”
Pembungkaman Ketua MRP Timotius Murib mengkritik penangkapan ini. Ia bilang apa yang dilakukan polisi sama saja melawan lembaga dan program negara. MRP itu lembaga legal, pun dengan acara yang mereka selenggarakan. “Berarti secara tidak langsung kepolisian menolak [pembahasan] otonomi khusus karena menolak RDP,” katanya kepada reporter Tirto, Kamis.Murib tak tahu ihwal ‘buku kuning’ yang jadi alasan polisi menangkapi para peserta dan penyelenggara. Namun ia menduga buku itu milik peserta rapat, bukan milik anggota atau tim MRP. Peserta rapat saat itu adalah Barisan Merah Putih, organisasi pemuda serupa, serta perwakilan adat. Total peserta 35 orang per kabupaten. Sementara dari MRP yang hadir sekira 20-an orang. Sebanyak 2 anggota dan 9 staf sekretariat diciduk.
Sebelum penangkapan, tepatnya pada 14 November 2020, Kapolda Papua Irjen Pol Paulus Waterpauw menerbitkan maklumat bernomor Mak/1/Xl/2020 tentang Rencana Rapat Dengar Pendapat pada Masa Pandemi COVID-19. Maklumat itu melarang RDP diikuti lebih dari 50 orang; peserta wajib mengikuti protokol kesehatan (swab/PCR, 3M) dan menyediakan tempat cuci tangan atau cairan pembersih tangan; lalu bagi pelanggar akan ditindak oleh kepolisian.
“Maklumat ini dikeluarkan untuk mencegah penyebaran COVID-19, karena khawatir rapat yang mengundang berkumpulnya orang dapat menimbulkan klaster baru,” ujar Kabid Humas Polda Papua Kombes Pol Ahmad Musthofa Kamal dalam keterangan tertulis, Sabtu (14/11/2020).
Bagi pengacara dari Perkumpulan Advokat HAM Papua Michael Himan, maklumat tersebut “sangatlah politis dan terlalu abstrak.” Ia mengatakan demikian untuk mengomentari bagian lain dari maklumat, angka 3 huruf c. Di sana disebutkan siapa pun yang terlibat RDP “dilarang merencanakan atau melakukan tindakan yang menjurus tindak keamanan negara, makar, atau separatisme atau pun tindakan lainnya yang dapat menimbulkan pidana umum atau atau perbuatan melawan hukum lainnya dan konflik sosial.”
Kepada reporter Tirto, Rabu (18/11/2020), ia mengatakan RDP bukan termasuk tindakan penyerangan, apalagi makar. Selama dilangsungkan secara damai, tindakan menyampaikan pendapat tidak dapat dianggap makar.
Lagipula maklumat itu bukan produk hukum yang tidak memiliki kekuatan hukum bagi orang luar. Maklumat sekadar informasi bagi internal Polri. “Pernyataan tersebut bertentangan dengan ketentuan Perkap 15/2007. Kepolisian tidak memiliki kewenangan untuk membuat peraturan yang berlaku eksternal.” Atas dasar itu Himan menyimpulkan maklumat, dan penangkapan, telah melanggar hak kebebasan berekspresi masyarakat Papua.
Kritik serupa disampaikan Direktur Eksekutif Yayasan Keadilan dan Keutuhan Manusia Papua Theo Hesegem, kepada reporter Tirto, Rabu. Ia pertama-tama mengatakan bahwa otsus pada dasarnya adalah bentuk tawaran politik yang diberikan pemerintah pusat terhadap aspirasi merdeka orang Papua. Pusat Data dan Analisa Tempo pada 2019 lalu menulis Otsus adalah “jalan tengah bagi kelompok pro kemerdekaan Papua dan pemerintah pusat.”
Ketika itu aspirasi untuk merdeka memang sedang tinggi-tingginya di tanah Papua. Keputusan Kongres Rakyat Papua (KRP) II yang diadakan Presidium Dewan Papua (PDP) di Gedung Olahraga Cenderawasih APO, Kota Jayapura, 29 Mei sampai 4 Juni 2000, bulat menyebut rakyat Papua ingin lepas dari Indonesia.
Maka, “bila ruang [ekspresi] masyarakat dilarang, tidak mengevaluasi atau RDP, [maka] isu Papua merdeka akan semakin menguat di akar rumput.”
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Freedom of association, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security, Right to self-determination
- HRD
- Minority rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 14, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- Aug 7, 2020
- Event Description
Sneha Cheat journalist Keo Hour is arrested by a group of police officers in Kampong Chhnang’s provincial capital af ter Huo interviewed peaceful protestors who had gathered outside the Chieb commune office over a land conf lict earlier in May. He is not told the reason for his arrest. He was subsequently bailed, but the criminal charges remain over his head.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 14, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- Jul 21, 2020
- Event Description
A member of the Prey Lang Community Network,a local activist group of volunteer forest rangers that has been risking their lives to peaceably protect the area from illegal logging and large-scale land-grabbing since 2007., is threatened by a known timber trader with political connections while taking photos of illegal timber being transported at night. The trader confiscated the forest activist’s phone and filed a complaint at the district militar y police station demanding compensation for having taken photos of him without permission.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Environmental rights defender
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Agricultural business
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 14, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- May 9, 2020
- Event Description
Several members of Cambodian youth group Khmer Thavrak including human rights activist Hun Vannak are arrested and held for hours of questioning at the Battambang provincial police station for their involvement in a peaceful protest calling on microfinance institutions (MFIs) and banks to suspend loan repayments among the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. Four monks from different pagodas were also threatened with expulsion from their pagodas for joining the non-violent demonstrations.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, NGO staff, Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 14, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- Apr 25, 2020
- Event Description
Roughly 40 youth and environmental activists including Natural Resources Protection Group (NRPG) president Chheuy Odorm Reaksmey, the son of murdered environmental activist Chut Wutty, are stopped from gathering in Prey Lang forest to commemorate the anniversar y of Wutty’s death by ten armed environmental rangers and threatened with arrest. The armed men were led by provincial environment department chief Meas Nhoem, as well as the Rovieng deputy district governor and accompanied by local health officials who claimed that the ban was intended to stop the spread of COVID-19. The next day, commander of Intervention Brigade No. 3 Srey Deuk sent 50 soldiers into the forest to search for five environmental activists – Ouch Leng, Khem Sokhy, Srey Thei, Srey Tin and Heng Srar – who had attended the event.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Restrictions on Movement
- Rights Concerned
- #COVID-19, Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Environmental rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 14, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- Mar 13, 2020
- Event Description
A community representative and four CCFC staff are prevented from conducting a training on human rights and farming to a group of 30 villagers in Prey Veng province’s Ba Phnom district. The staff, who were working to set up a community saving group, were threatened with arrest by the deputy commune police chief if they continued with the training.
- Impact of Event
- 5
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Community-based HRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 14, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- Feb 18, 2020
- Event Description
Ten volunteer staff from a local wild life, forests and fisheries protection and conservation organisation are illegally detained by armed forces in Preah Sihanouk province’s Prey Nob district while monitoring sand-dredging activities in the coastal province. Af ter eight months in pre-trial detention, they are handed a suspended sentence of two years in prison.
- Impact of Event
- 10
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment, Restrictions on Movement
- Rights Concerned
- Right to fair trial, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Environmental rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Armed forces/ Military
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 14, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- Jan 15, 2020
- Event Description
Sok Kin, president of the Building and Wood Workers Trade Union of Cambodia (BWTUC) is harassed by local authorities on the orders of Sen Sok district governor Mouv Manit while conducting a meeting with donors and colleagues at his office in Phnom Penh. Authorities demanded to know the reason for the meeting, accused Kin of not having sought permission from local officials and allegedly urged the union official to join the ruling party.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Labour rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 14, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Jan 12, 2021
- Event Description
Clashes around a gold mine in Thailand’s Loei province went viral Wednesday after an official fired a shot into the air during a confrontation with activists and locals.
The hashtag #เหมืองแร่เมืองเลย (Gold Mine in Loei Province) has been trending as Thai netizens try to raise awareness of the increasing concerns over pollution from gold mining in the province’s Wang Saphung district.
The hashtag had more than 60,000 Tweets Wednesday morning after the official threatened activists, locals, and students on-site with a gun late Tuesday.
Thanakit Anthara, a temporary official working for the security department of Wang Saphung district and a former headman, drove up to the mine entrance and protest site around 5:15 on Tuesday.
Seemingly intoxicated, Thanakit threatened and verbally attacked the villagers and students. He shot his handgun into the sky and threatening the activists before being taken away by officers. No one was harmed.
The incident was captured on video by UNME of Anarchy, a youth activist group. The clip posted by group leader Pai Daodin had been shared more than 3,000 times.
This incident came after villagers and activists under the organization กลุ่มฅนรักษ์บ้านเกิด (people who love their birthplace) went to the Wang Saphung police Tuesday morning calling for measures to protect villagers facing the threat of illegal and dangerous gold-mining activities.
The villagers earlier reported a group of unidentified men seen entering the gold mine, and later transporting minerals and assets out with them.
Villagers have now submitted a letter to the Director General of the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission to investigate and clarify on the incident. The office is responsible for deciding who can freely enter the mine and move its resources.
Over the past decade, hundreds of villagers and the environment have been severely affected by the gold mine in Wang Saphung, which is operated by Tungkum Limited (TKL), a subsidiary of Tongkah Harbour PCL. The mine has been accused of poisoning the villagers’ land and water supplies, causing serious health problems and damage to the environment.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha ordered the closure of the mine in 2019 and said that he would take responsibility.
Back in May 2014, some 300 armed masked men attacked villagers and activists occupying the checkpoints blocking the access to the gold mine in Wang Saphung.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, Environmental rights defender, Student
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 13, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- Dec 8, 2019
- Event Description
A community representative in Preah Sihanouk province is threatened with arrest by a deputy district police chief af ter more than a hundred people from ten different communities, including six affected by land conf licts across the province, planned to celebrate International Human Rights Day. Members of the communities locked in land disputes had thumbprinted a petition calling on local authorities to find a resolution to the conf licts.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Community-based HRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 13, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- Oct 4, 2019
- Event Description
A monk living in a forest pagoda in Kampong Speu province is woken by gunshots fired at the temple’s pillars by an unknown shooter. The monk, who had previously joined in environmental activism alongside the Mother Nature movement and worked to protect the wild trees and animals of his forest home, also found a threatening message stuck on a tree warning that there would be no peace if the “bad monk” continued his activism.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Death threat, Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Environmental rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Unknown
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Unknown
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 13, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- Jun 4, 2019
- Event Description
Community land activist Ther Then is arrested by police in Kampong Thom province’s Stoung district and sent to the provincial prison af ter giving an interview to Radio Free Asia (RFA). The warrant, which accused Then of giving false information to the radio station, was issued following a complaint filed by Korm Saroeurn, former advisor to interior minister Sar Kheng. On March 12, 2019, Ther Then had shared with RFA grievances of local residents with regards to access to water to irrigate their fields.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Land rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 13, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- May 28, 2019
- Event Description
An ADHOC rights worker in Kampong Cham province is threatened over the phone by the commune police chief af ter holding a meeting with 35 local community members to discuss freedom of expression.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- NGO staff
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 13, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- May 13, 2019
- Event Description
24-year-old rapper Chhun Dymey is confronted by two police officers in Siem Reap who demand to see his birth certificate, job and family book. Dymey had recently released a song – “This Society” – lashing out at widespread social injustice including corruption, the plight of poor communities and ongoing land disputes. Dymey later took the song down from his social media accounts.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Artist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 13, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- Mar 8, 2019
- Event Description
More than 60 people from four different communities across Kampong Cham province’s Memot district are prevented from celebrating International Women’s Day by Memot district governor Cheng Bunna, who along with commune officials claimed that the communities had not registered their plans with local authorities. A Tunlong community representative is threatened with imprisonment if the celebrations go ahead as planned.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Administrative Harassment, Intimidation and Threats, Restrictions on Movement
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Freedom of movement, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 13, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- Feb 13, 2019
- Event Description
The Venerable Hor Sokhon, the chief monk of Phnom Penh’s Chbar Ampov pagoda, is forcibly defrocked by high-ranking officials from the Ministr y of Cults and Religion before a mixed force of more than 50 police officers on the orders of the capital’s governor Khuong Sreng. Sokhon had posted content on social media criticising the government’s failure to retain full tariff-free access to the European Union through the Ever ything but Arms (EBA) trade scheme due to ongoing human rights abuses in Cambodia.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Administrative Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of Religion and Belief, Online, Right to work
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 13, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- Jan 29, 2019
- Event Description
Mok Heng and Chhoem Chhuon, village representatives from Kampong Thom province’s Prasat Balangk district, are illegally arrested and beaten by police before being sent for questioning at the provincial station. The two men are forced to thumbprint a document turning their land and threatened with imprisonment should they continue to protest against a 2016 land grab that saw almost 1200 hectares of farmland occupied by 586 families seized and cleared to make way for a World Bank-funded social land concession. Another land representative, Eang Sokmeng, was arrested in June and charged with intentional physical assault.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Administrative Harassment, Intimidation and Threats, Judicial Harassment, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, Land rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 13, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- Jan 4, 2019
- Event Description
Four community land representatives including Hoam Nai, Rom San, Say Tay and Srok Lang in Tbong Khmum’s Memot district are summoned to the Tonlung commune office for questioning over a long-running land dispute with businessman Chhun Savuth. The four representatives were forced to thumbprint a contract agreeing not to organize community protests or gatherings on penalty of legal action.
- Impact of Event
- 4
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, Land rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 13, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Jan 11, 2021
- Event Description
Anti-caste activist Harshali Potdar was briefly arrested by Mumbai’s MRA Marg police on Monday afternoon for sharing an allegedly inflammatory Facebook post in March 2020. By evening, she was released after being made to fill out several arrest forms.
Potadar’s application for anticipatory bail in this case had been rejected by a sessions court on January 6.
The police had filed its case against Potdar on April 4, 2020, accusing her of sharing a post by a Facebook user, Mohsin Sheikh, who blamed the Central government for targeting the Muslim community and the Tablighi Jamaat group with claims that it was responsible for spreading Covid-19 in India.
The first information report claims the post appealed to Muslims to act against Brahmins, and has booked Potdar under Section 153A (1) of the Indian Penal Code, dealing with promotion of communal disharmony.
In a Facebook live video she shared after her release, Potdar denied sharing any such post. “I have given them [the police] my statement before, whenever they have asked for it – I have not shared that post,” said Potdar in the video. “But even if the police claims I have shared it, they have listed me as accused number one, and the person who wrote the post has been listed as accused number two. And the FIR also claims the post was deleted within 30 minutes.”
Potdar was arrested despite the Supreme Court itself criticising the Central government for its handling of the media coverage of the Tablighi Jamaat event. In October and November 2020, the Supreme Court pulled up the government for its inaction towards media channels that had communalised the Jamaat event. Connection to Bhima Koregaon
Potdar’s lawyer Ishrat Ali Khan also refuted these charges against her client. “She is being targeted because of her connection with the Bhima Koregaon case and because of her involvement in several protests and dharnas,” she said.
Potdar is a member of the Republican Panthers Caste Annihilation Movement, and was one of the organisers of the Elgar Parishad event that took place in Pune city on December 31, 2017 – a day before caste-based violence broke out near Bhima Koregaon in Maharashtra’s Pune district.
At least 16 activists and intellectuals have been arrested since June 2018 for allegedly conspiring to provoke the Bhima Koregaon violence. Meanwhile, no major action has been taken against two right-wing Hindutva leaders – Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote – who have also been accused of making provocative speeches before the Bhima Koregaon vioence.
Although Potdar was one of the accused in the case, she has not been arrested or charge-sheeted for it so far.
In her Facebook video on Monday, Potdar claimed her arrest was an intimidation tactic, likely because organisers of the 2017 Elgar Parishad have announced another Elgar event in Pune on January 30 in support of the 16 arrested activists.
“Through such false cases, the police is trying to spread fear among activists working in the Ambedkarite and progressive movements so that they don’t come forward to do their work,” Potdar said. “But they will not be able to silence us like this.” Unauthorised arrest
Potdar has also questioned the MRA Marg police about the manner in which she was arrested while she was in a public place. “I was eating in a restaurant with a few activist friends when four or five police officials in civil dress surrounded us and demanded that I go to the police station with them,” Potdar said in the Facebook video. The officials did not have any summons or arrest warrant, she said, and refused to tell her why they wanted to arrest her. “They also asked me to surrender my phone, which I refused to do, since they did not have a seizure panchnama.”
At the police station, she was not allowed to speak to her lawyer or activist friends, and was told about the case in which she was arrested only after making her fill up arrest forms. “At around 6.30 pm, after informing my family and lawyer that I would be in the lock-up tonight, they suddenly told me they were releasing me,” she said. “So then what was the dramatic arrest all about? Only the police can answer.”
Officials at the MRA Marg Police Station were unavailable for comment.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Minority rights defender, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 12, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Oct 8, 2020
- Event Description
Dua jurnalis CNNIndonesia.com mengalami kekerasan fisik dan intimidasi saat meliput demonstrasi menolak Omnibus Law UU Cipta Kerja, Kamis (8/10). Salah satunya, diduga dipukul oleh aparat kepolisian di kawasan Jakarta Pusat.
Selaku korban, Thohirin menjelaskan insiden kekerasan dan intimidasi yang dialaminya. Saat itu dia sedang bertugas meliput demo di sekitar Simpang Harmoni, Jakarta Pusat, Kamis malam. Dua jurnalis CNNIndonesia.com mengalami kekerasan fisik dan intimidasi saat meliput demonstrasi menolak Omnibus Law UU Cipta Kerja, Kamis (8/10). Salah satunya, diduga dipukul oleh aparat kepolisian di kawasan Jakarta Pusat.
Selaku korban, Thohirin menjelaskan insiden kekerasan dan intimidasi yang dialaminya. Saat itu dia sedang bertugas meliput demo di sekitar Simpang Harmoni, Jakarta Pusat, Kamis malam.
Namun polisi tidak percaya. Mereka kemudian memaksanya mengeluarkan ponsel dan meminta membuka galeri. Thohirin terpaksan mengikuti permintaan tersebut.
"Satu-satunya yang bikin mereka jengkel, setelah membuka Hp, mereka melihat gambar saat aparat memiting massa aksi yang ditangkap," ujar Thohirin.
Polisi marah melihat foto tersebut dan menuduhnya seenaknya mengambil gambar. Namun Thohirin merasa tak ada yang salah dengan pengambilan gambar tersebut lantaran memang tugasnya sebagai jurnalis.
"Setelah itu, Hp saya diambil. Saya diinterogasi, dimarahi. beberapa kali kepala saya dipukul. Untung saya pakai helm," ujar Thohirin.
Bahkan salah satu polisi mengancam Thohirin akan membanting ponselnya.
"Kamu percaya enggak Hp kamu bisa saya banting," kata polisi seperti ditirukan Thohirin.
Thohirin sempat memohon agar polisi tidak merusak alat kerjanya tersebut. Namun anggota polisi lainnya memprovokasi untuk membanting ponsel. Seketika itu ponsel Thohirin dibanting.
"Saya pasrah. Saya tak sempat berpikir apa-apa lagi. Hp saya tinggal. Saya tidak kepikiran menjadikan itu barang bukti, lagipula kalau saya ambil itu Hp, saya bisa jadi akan lebih menerima intimidasi," ujarnya.
Setelah menerima intimidasi itu, Thohirin kemudian pergi dan mencari rekannya. Dia juga mengabari tim redaksi di kantor untuk mendapatkan bantuan.
Selain Thohirin, jurnalis CNNIndonesia.com di Surabaya, Farid Miftah Rahman, juga mengalami intimidasi saat meliput demo menolak Omnibus Law Cipta Kerja.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 10, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Oct 8, 2020
- Event Description
Aksi unjuk rasa (unras) penolakan Undang-Undang Cipta Kerja oleh sekelompok mahasiswa di gedung DPRD Tarakan pada Rabu (8/10/2020) kemarin, berbuntut panjang. Dua wartawan yang meliput aksi itu menjadi korban penembakan air dari mobil Water Canon yang dikerahkan oleh Polres Tarakan di lokasi unras.
Akibatnya kedua wartawan Tarakan TV dan Radar Tarakan bernama Arif Rusman dan Ifransyah ini terjatuh dari pagar gedung dewan dengan ketinggian sekitar 3 meter.
Sehingga mengakibatkan luka-luka yang cukup serius yang diderita keduanya. Bahkan kamera foto dan video yang dibekali dari perusahaan pers masing-masing kepada dua wartawan itu mengalami kerusakan.
Atas dasar tersebut dan mengacu Undang-Undang Pers Nomor 40 tahun 1999 tentang Pers serta bukti rekaman video yang beredar di media sosial, jurnalis Tarakan yang tergabung dalam PWI Kaltara dan IJTI Kaltara meminta Kapolres Tarakan AKBP Filol Praja Artadhira bertanggung jawab terkait kasus ini.
Hal ini diungkapkan Ketua PWI Kaltara Datu Iskandar Zulkarnaen yang didampingi Sekretarisnya Mansyur, berdasarkan hasil rapat koordinasi dari kedua organisasi yang diakui Dewan Pers ini, malam tadi.
“PWI dan IJTI Kaltara sangat menyesalkan adanya kejadian yang menyebabkan ada wartawan terluka saat bertugas dalam aksi unjuk rasa itu,” tegas Datu Iskandar melalui Mansyur, Kamis (8/10).
Menurutnya, wartawan dilindungi oleh UU Nomor 40 Tahun 1999 tentang Pers. “Selain itu, dari rekaman video yang ada, itu bisa jadi awal jika terjadi pelanggaran prosedur oleh aparat,” ujarnya.
“Kami juga mengimbau agar rekan-rekan wartawan hati-hati dalam melakukan peliputan di lapangan, utamakan keselamatan. Tapi polisi juga harus memberikan perlindungan dan harus tahu yang mana wartawan dan mana pendemo,” tambah Mansyur.
Dituturkannya, keberadaan wartawan di atas pagar DPRD Tarakan bukan hal yang baru dilakukan oleh jurnalis dalam mengabadikan gambar maupun video aksi unras.
“Dari dulu sampai sekarang, posisi wartawan selalu ada di atas pagar itu. Mereka di atas pagar karena ada alasan tersendiri, pertama menghindari kerumunan massa, kedua karena ingin mengambil angle yang bagus. Semua polisi tahu posisi wartawan selalu ada di situ dalam setiap kegiatan unjuk rasa,” bebernya.
Sehingga dia menduga penyemporatan Water Canon yang mengarah ke wartawan ada unsur kesengajaan bukan kecerobohan semata.
“Hari ini (Kamis) kami akan sampaikan somasi kepada Kapolres Tarakan untuk segera ditindaklanjuti dan disikapi dengan serius. Dalam surat somasi ini kami tembuskan juga ke Presiden Joko Widodo, Ketua DPR RI, Kapolri, Kapolda Kaltara, Dewan Pers, dan Ketua PWI Pusat dan IJTI Pusat serta lainnya yang terkait,” ungkapnya.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Use of Excessive Force, Violence (physical), Wounds and Injuries
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 10, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Oct 8, 2020
- Event Description
Dua wartawan di Kota Palu, Sulawesi Tengah, dipukul oleh aparat kepolisian saat meliput aksi unjuk rasa menolak Omnibus Law Undang-Undang Cipta Kerja di depan kantor DPRD Sulteng , Kamis (8/10/2020).
Kedua wartawan media online sultengnews.com dianiaya saat ricuh demo susulan sekitar pukul 16.20 WITA. Saat itu, polisi mengejar massa aksi termasuk wartawan yang meliput.
Salah satu korban bernama Alsih Marselina, mengaku dipukul di bagian wajah hingga mengakibatkan luka memar. Alsih pun pusing seketika.
"Tadi di tengah situasi ricuh, saya disuruh tunduk. Setelah saya tunduk, langsung dipukul. Seketika saya merasa pusing," kata Alsih kepada rekan wartawan di Palu.
- Korban sudah memperlihatkan identitas kewartawanan
Alsih menjelaskan, korban lainnya yaitu Adhy Rifaldy mendapat hantaman pada bahu sebelah kanan. Mereka dipukuli, kata Alsih, bahkan setelah memberitahu profesinya sebagai jurnalis serta memperlihatkan kartu pers.
"Saya sudah pakai identitas wartawan, padahal saya sudah bilang ke polisi saya dari media, tapi oknum polisi masih memukul saya. Karena jelas yang memukul pakai baju dinas cokelat kepolisian," Alsih menerangkan. 2. Kedua korban pemukulan berada di barikade kepolisian
Alsih dan Adhy berada di barikade kepolisian saat bekerja melakukan peliputan. Kata Alsih, dia memilih berada di barisan aparat keamanan agar bisa terlindungi, namun nyatanya tidak demikian.
"Saat (itu) ada di tengah-tengah polisi saat meliput, karena saya harap berada di posisi itu bisa dapatkan keamanan, malah justru dipukul," keluh Alsih.
Atas tindak kekerasan yang dialami, keduanya telah melapor ke Propam Polda Sulteng dengan didampingi empat pengacara. Masing-masing Rachmy, Roy Marianto Babutung, Fikri Saleh, dan Mohammad Itfan Umar. 3. AJI Palu mengecam tindakan represif aparat kepolisian
Ketua Aliansi Jurnalis Independan (AJI) Kota Palu, Mohammad Ikbal, menilai kekerasan yang kembali menimpa jurnalis saat meliput aksi unjuk rasa, menjadi sinyalemen lemahnya pemahaman institusi Polri terhadap profesi jurnalis.
Padahal, kata Ikbal, pihaknya telah berulang kali menjalin komunikasi kepada kepolisian setempat, untuk meminimalisir potensi intimidasi hingga tindakan represi kepada jurnalis yang bertugas melakukan peliputan demonstrasi.
"Kita sangat mengecam tindakan kekerasan yang dilakukan oknum polisi. Padahal teman-teman yang jadi korban sudah teriak-teriak mereka adalah wartawan, tapi tetap saja dipukuli," kata Ikbal kepada IDN Times, Kamis malam.
"Apalagi yang dipukul ini jurnalis perempuan," geram Ikbal. AJI Palu, jelas Ikbal, akan mengawal kasus kekerasan terhadap dua jurnalis tersebut.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- Use of Excessive Force, Violence (physical), Wounds and Injuries
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 10, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Oct 8, 2020
- Event Description
Aksi mahasiswa Tanjungpinang menolak UU Cipta Kerja yang berjalan tertib, tiba-tiba berakhir ricuh di Kantor DPRD Kepri, Kamis (8/10/2020).
Polisi membubarkan massa aksi dengan gas air mata, dan mobil water cannon.
Massa aksi pun berhamburan, ada pula yang diamankan pihak kepolisian.
Mahasiswa yang mendapat pukulan dari sejumlah oknum polisi.
Sementara dari pihak jurnalis, seorang stringer TV One yang meliput aksi juga terkena pukulan dari oknum polisi yang membubarkan massa.
Terdapat luka memar pada bagian bahu belakang wartawan tersebut.
Kapolres Tanjungpinang, M Iqbal menyampaikan, penyebab kericuhan itu karena massa aksi memaksa ingin bertemu Ketua DPRD Kepri, Jumaga Nadeak.
"Kita sampaikan, hanya bisa Wakil Ketua DPRD Kepri saja. Sebabnya, dengan adanya dua buruh hasil rapid-nya reaktif, Ketua DPRD sudah bertemu mereka, dan juga ikut diisolasi," ucapnya menceritakan kronologi kejadian.
Ia pun juga menyayangkan, massa aksi tidak bisa mengerti di tengah kondisi pandemi Covid-19 ini.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Violence (physical), Wounds and Injuries
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 10, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Oct 9, 2020
- Event Description
Mangir, Yuda, Samuel, Faisal, and Rizki are journalists based in Samarinda, East Kalimantan Province. On 9 October 2020, they were covering a students protest in Samarinda, demanding the release of their friends who were arrested a few days before for protesting against the legislation of the Omnibus Bill on Job Creation. During the protest, the students clashed with the police, and one student was kicked several times by a group of police officers. When the 5 journalist tried to record the incident, a policemen stomped on Mangir’s foot and demanded him to not record the police who brutally assault the protestor. The police tried to confiscate Mangir’s phone to delete his record. Yuda and Rizki tried to intervene, but the police threatened them. Samuel who also tried to intervene, when showing his id card as a journalist, got his hair grabbed and pulled by the police. The five journalist then leave the area.
- Impact of Event
- 5
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Censorship, Intimidation and Threats, Use of Excessive Force, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 10, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Oct 8, 2020
- Event Description
Pemimpin Redaksi Suara.com, Suwarjono mengatakan, jurnalisnya yang bernama Peter Rotti mengalami kekerasan dari aparat kepolisian saat meliput aksi demo UU Cipta Kerja di kawasan Jalan MH Thamrin, Jakarta Pusat pada Kamis (8/10).
Peristiwa itu terjadi sekitar pukul 18.00, saat Peter merekam video aksi sejumlah oknum aparat kepolisian mengeroyok seorang peserta aksi di sekitar halte TransJakarta Bank Indonesia. Pada saat itu, Peter berdua dengan rekannya yang juga videografer, yakni Adit Rianto S melakukan live report via akun YouTube peristiwa aksi unjuk rasa penolakan Omnibus Law.
"Melihat Peter merekam aksi para polisi penganiaya peserta aksi dari kalangan mahasiswa, tiba-tiba seorang aparat berpakaian sipil serba hitam menghampirinya," ujar Pemimpin Redaksi Suara.com, Suwarjono dalam keterangan resmi suara. Dikutip jakselnews.com dari Warta Ekonomi.
Lalu, disusul 6 orang polisi yang belakangan diketahui anggota Brimob. Para oknum polisi itu meminta kamera Peter, namun Peter menolak sambil menjelaskan bahwa dirinya jurnalis yang sedang meliput.
para polisi bersikukuh dan merampas kamera jurnalis video suara.com milik Peter. Lalu ia diseret sambil dipukul dan ditendang oleh segerombolan polisi tersebut.
Meski sudah mengenakan kartu identitas pers, Peter mengaku dilarang merekam.
"Saya sudah jelaskan kalau saya wartawan tetapi mereka polisi tetap merampas dan menyeret saya. Tadi saya sempat diseret dan digebukin, tangan dan pelipis saya memar," kata Peter melalui sambungan telepon. Dikutip Jakselnews.com dari Jurnal Garut berjudul Seorang Jurnalis di Jakarta Diintimidasi Aparat Saat Meliput Demo Tolak Omnibus Law
Setelah kamera Peter dirampas, memori yang berisi rekaman video liputan aksi unjuk rasa mahasiswa dan pelajar di sekitar patung kuda, kawasan Monas, Jakarta itu diambil polisi. Namun kamera dikembalikan kepada Peter.
"Kamera saya akhirnya kembalikan, tetapi memorinya diambil sama mereka," ujar Peter.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Censorship, Intimidation and Threats, Violence (physical), Wounds and Injuries
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 10, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Oct 21, 2020
- Event Description
Unjuk rasa damai tolak Omnibus Law Undang-undang Cipta Kerja di Kota Medan berujung ricuh, Selasa (20/10/2020) petang. Massa aksi dibubarkan paksa oleh aparat kepolisian dalam perjalanan untuk pulang.
Sejumlah orang dikabarkan ditangkap. Massa juga sempat ditembaki dengan peluru gas air mata hingga konsentrasinya terpecah. Massa yang berjumlah ratusan pun terpaksa bubar karena tindakan represif itu.
Massa yang berjumlah lebih dari 200 orang itu mengatasnamakan diri dari Akumulasi Kemarahan Buruh dan Rakyat (AKBAR) Sumut dan Suara Rakyat Medan (Suram). Massa terdiri dari mahasiswa, buruh dan para pegiat.
“Di lapangan kami berkoordinasi dengan kawan-kawan dari Suara Rakyat Medan yang sepakat bergabung dengan kami. Dari awal aksi berjalan tertib. Kami hanya ingin mengekspresikan penolakan Omnibus Law dengan teatrikal dan puisi,” ujar Martin Luis, Koordinator AKBAR Sumut di Kantor LBH Medan, Selasa malam.
Sejak aksi dimulai, aparat kepolisian memang terus berdatangan ke kawasan itu. Mulai dari pasukan sabhara ber-trail kemudian petugas Brimob lengkap dengan mobil water cannonnya.
- Polisi diduga bubarkan paksa dengan merangsek masuk dengan trail ke arah massa
Sekitar pukul 17.00 WIB, polisi terus mengingatkan massa untuk membubarkan diri sebelum pukul 18.00 WIB. Polisi meminta massa bubar karena dianggap akan melewati batas waktu yang ada di dalam aturan.
Menjelang pukul 18.00 WIB. Massa melakukan longmarch untuk membubarkan diri menuju Kampus Institute Teknologi Medan (ITM). Sepanjang mereka longmarch, aparat kepolisian mengawal di belakang massa. Saat itu juga tindakan intimidasi mulai bermunculan. Hingga akhirnya kericuhan pecah di persimpangan gedung London Sumatra.
“Jadi menjelang pukul 18.00 WIB, kami cukup kooperatif dengan kepolisian dengan membubarkan diri. Ketika kita longmarch menuju kampus ITM, justru pihak kepolisian itu melakukan, menabrakkan sepeda motor trail dan ketika itu juga disusul dengan tembakan gas air mata dari kepolisian,” ujar Martin.
Massa yang terpecah konsentrasinya berlarian. Sebagian berlari ke arah Kantor LBH Medan. Sebagian lagi berlarian ke arah Jalan Balai Kota.
“Kita juga sempat melihat ada massa yang ditangkap oleh pihak kepolisian. Kita mulai long march, kita sudah melihat polisi melakukan provokasi dan intimidasi terhadap massa aksi perempuan yang membuat border atau pembatas barisan massa aksi,” ujar Martin. 2. Martin: Kekerasan dan intimidasi terhadap massa aksi jadi bukti pemerintah anti kritik
Martin dan lembaga yang tergabung di AKBAR Sumut mengecam aksi kekerasan dan intimidasi itu. Kata Martin ini adalah upaya pemerintah membungkam gerakan rakyat. Kemudian, kekerasan dan intimidasi itu disebut sebagai wujud pemerintahan yang anti kritik.
“Peserta aksi hari ini sangat mengecam pihak kepolisian yang membubarkan rakyat Sumut untuk menolak Omnibus Law. Ini adalah bukti bahwa pemerintah melakukan penggembosan terhadap gerakan rakyat yang mengekspresikan sikap politik terhadap kebijakan yang tidak berpihak kepada rakyat,” ujar Martin. 3. Tetap unjuk rasa sampai Omnibus Law dibatalkan
Meski mendapat tindakan represif aparat, AKBAR Sumut akan tetap melakukan unjuk rasa. Mereka menilai, Omnibus Law bukanlah aturan yang berpihak kepada rakyat. Apalagi, Undang-undang Cipta Kerja itu juga diduga melanggar prosedur dalam pembuatannya.
“Apa yang kita dapatkan hari ini, tentu tidak menyurutkan gerakan kita untuk menolak Omnibus Law. Kami akan terus berunjuk rasa dengan turun ke jalan, sampai memang Omnibus ini dibatalkan pemerintah,” ujarnya.
Sampai saat ini, massa masih berkumpul di LBH Medan. Mereka masih melakukan pendataan terhadap massa yang diduga ditangkap oleh pihak kepolisian. Beberapa massa juga mendapat luka karena aksi represif. Bahkan ada massa yang tangannya harus dibalut perban karena terkena peluru gas air mata.
Sampai sekarang, belum ada komentar resmi dari pihak kepolisian terkait pembubaran paksa itu. Kapolsek Medan Barat Kompol Afdhal Junaidi yang dikonfirmasi enggan memberikan jawaban. Dia mengarahkan awak media kepada Bagian Humas Polrestabes Medan. Namun saat dihubungi, pihak Humas Polrestabes Medan juga tidak menanggapi.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of association, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Labour rights defender, Student
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 10, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Oct 8, 2020
- Event Description
Aksi Demonstrasi menolak Omnibus Law UU Cipta Kerja di Gedung Negara Grahadi Surabaya, pada Kamis lalu (8/10/2020) menyisakan pengalaman buruk bagi EA, seorang mahasiswa yang juga jurnalis kampus di Kota Pahlawan itu. Ia mengaku mendapat tindakan represif dari aparat.
Kepada CNNIndonesia.com EA menuturkan peristiwa itu berawal ketika dirinya meliput aksi unjuk rasa mahasiswa di Gedung Grahadi.
Semula berjalan kondusif. Namun jelang sore hari, bentrokan pecah antara massa dengan aparat. Gerbang sisi barat Grahadi jebol, disusul sisi timur beberapa jam setelahnya.
Aksi saling lempar pun tak terhindarkan. Massa melempari aparat dengan botol, batu dan kaca serta benda lainnya. Aparat kemudian dibalas dengan menembakkan gas air mata dan semprotan water canon.
Di tengah kericuhan tersebut, EA yang berada di halaman Grahadi terus berupaya mendokumentasikan semua yang terlihat sepanjang mata memandang sembari berlindung di balik pepohonan.
EA lalu mendapati sejumlah aparat kepolisian menangkap paksa para peserta aksi. EA lantas mendokumentasikannya.
“Saat kericuhan saya mendokumentasikan semua yang terjadi. Ada aparat kepolisian yang menangkap massa, saya juga mendokumentasikannya,” kata EA, Rabu kemarin (14/10/2020).
Tiba-tiba seorang polisi kemudian menghampiri EA. Aparat tersebut menanyai dari mana dia berasal.
EA menjelaskan bahwa dirinya adalah mahasiswa sekaligus jurnalis kampus. Ia juga memperlihatkan kartu pers serta seragam yang ia kenakan. Namun polisi itu makin mengintimidasinya.
“Saya lupa satuannya tapi dia berseragam. Dia memaksa saya menghapus foto dan video di kamera saya,” kata EA.
EA terpaksa menuruti permintaan petugas tersebut untuk menghapus hasil jepretannya.
“Setelah mau menghapus, tapi tiba-tiba kamera saya disita, ada [polisi lain] yang bilang, ‘bawa ke belakang saja’,” tambahnya.
EA kemudian ditangkap dan Dibawa ke selasar belakang Gedung Grahadi bersama ratusan peserta aksi lain yang juga ditangkap.
Saat diamankan, seorang polisi tiba-tiba menendang wajah EA. Akibatnya bibir dan matanya memar.
“Saya ditendang pas bibir kanan bawah, pas masih pakai masker,” ucapnya.
EA mengatakan dirinya dan ratusan massa lain juga dipaksa untuk membuka baju. Diiringi pukulan dan tendangan ke bagian kepala.
Polisi juga mengumpulkan peserta aksi yang tertangkap dalam satu area, tanpa menerapkan protokol kesehatan, seperti menjaga jarak. Beberapa pedemo pun tak lagi mengenakan masker.
“Setelah beberapa lama baru ada polisi yang memberi masker,” kata EA.
EA bersama ratusan peserta aksi lainnya lalu digelandang ke Markas Kepolisian Daerah Jawa Timur (Polda Jatim) dengan truk. Dalam proses saat hendak naik ke truk, polisi lagi-lagi memukuli tubuh mereka, kali ini dengan rotan.
“Kami disuruh Jalan jongkok, saat mau menaiki truk, kami dipukul dengan rotan, di badan,” ujar dia.
Sesampainya di Mapolda Jatim, mereka ditempatkan di sebuah lapangan dekat Direktorat Resesre Kriminal Umum. Polisi kemudian kembali memukuli massa aksi dengan rotan. Termasuk EA sendiri.
Hingga malam hari, para pedemo tetap ditempatkan di lapangan terbuka, mereka tak diperkenankan istirahat dengan laik. Bahkan tanpa mengenakan baju, mereka dibiarkan tidur di lapangan, tanpa alas.
Massa kemudian menjalani pemeriksaan tanpa boleh didampingi oleh kuasa hukum dari LBH atau lembaga semacamnya. Alat komunikasi mereka disita. Sidik jari diambil. Mereka juga harus menjalani rapid test.
“Kami tidak bisa menghubungi Lembaga Bantuan Hukum (LBH) atau keluarga, handphone kami disita. Kamera saya juga,” ucapnya.
Saat pemeriksaan, petugas kepolisian menjelaskan bahwa dirinya terancam dijerat Pasal 214 KUHP tentang melawan petugas dan Pasal 170 KUHP tentang perusakan. Padahal EA sama sekali tak melakukan dua hal itu.
EA kemudian dibebaskan pada Jumat (9/10/2020) malam. Kameranya tetap disita, alat komunikasinya lenyap entah kemana. Yang ia bawa pulang hanya perih dari luka penyiksaan aparat kepolisian.
“Bibir sebelah kanan saya luka, lebam juga. Pelipis mata sebelah kanan lebam. Pinggang bagian belakang juga masih berbekas rotan, luka,” ujarnya.
Petugas mengatakan kepada EA bahwa dirinya dibebaskan atas perintah dari Kapolda Jawa Timur. Petugas juga meminta agar massa menjadikan itu semua sebagai pelajaran.
Dikonfirmasi terkait dugaan penganiayaan dan tindakan kekerasan kepada para peserta aksi tersebut, Kepala Bidang Humas Polda Jatim Komisaris Besar Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko menolak memberikan komentar.
“Tidak ada, tidak ada, sudah cukup. Sekarang kami fokus ke penyidikan,” kata Truno, kepada CNNIndonesia.com.
Berdasarkan catatan Polda Jatim, dalam aksi Tolak Omnibus Law Cipta Kerja Kamis (8/10) setidaknya ada 634 pedemo yang diamankan di Surabaya dan Malang. sebanyak 620 diantaranya dipulangkan, sedangkan 14 orang lainnya ditetapkan sebagai tersangka. Dugaan Pelanggaran Polisi
Sementara itu, LBH Surabaya menerima sejumlah aduan dari para demonstran yang sempat ditangkap oleh polisi usai aksi Kamis (8/10) lalu. Para pedemo mengaku mendapatkan perlakuan kekerasan dari aparat kepolisian saat proses penangkapan hingga ketika ditahan selama semalaman.
“Banyaknya dipukul di kepala dan di punggung. Ada yang masih berbekas, bahkan berdarah,” kata Kepala Bidang Kasus Buruh dan Miskin Kota LBH Surabaya, Habibus Shalihin.
Habibus pun meminta para korban tersebut untuk melakukan visum mandiri ke rumah sakit sebagai bukti ada tindak kekerasan yang mereka alami. Setelah itu, aduan tersebut akan diproses oleh LBH sebelum menentukan langkah selanjutnya.
Senada, Komisi Untuk Orang Hilang dan Korban Tindak Kekerasan (KontraS) Surabaya mencatat setidaknya ada tujuh bentuk tindak kekerasan kepolisian selama menangani dan mengamankan aksi Tolak Omnibus Law di Surabaya.
“Pertama adalah aparat kepolisian [diduga] melakukan penangkapan secara sewenang-wenang kepada beberapa massa aksi yang baru akan melakukan aksi, kepada massa aksi yang tidak terlibat dalam perusakan dan penyerangan serta sedang dirawat di posko medis,” kata Koordinator KontraS Surabaya, Rahmat Faisal.
Kedua aparat kepolisian diduga juga melakukan tindak kekerasan kepada massa aksi yang menjadi relawan medis. Massa aksi tidak bersenjata dan massa aksi yang tidak melawan saat ditangkap.
Ketiga, kata Rahmat aparat kepolisian diduga melakukan penyerangan dan melakukan perusakan terhadap sekretariat PMKRI, yang digunakan untuk posko kesehatan selama aksi.
Polisi juga diduga melakukan intimidasi dan ancaman ke masyarakat serta jurnalis yang berupaya mendokumentasikan kerusuhan selama aksi. Hal itu dilakukan dengan cara merampas alat dokumentasi yang digunakan dan menghapus paksa hasil foto serta video.
Kelima, aparat kepolisian diduga menghambat akses informasi mengenai data pasti siapa saja dan berapa jumlah keseluruhan massa aksi yang ditangkap, termasuk status penahanannya. Tim advokasi jadi mengalami kesulitan dalam melakukan bantuan hukum.
“Pelanggaran keenam terkait aparat kepolisian yang hingga kemarin belum memberikan informasi secara detail jumlah jenis dan keberadaan barang-barang yang dirampas selama aksi,” ujarnya.
Ketujuh, aparat kepolisian diduga melakukan kekerasan dan tindakan tidak manusiawi kepada tersangka anak di bawah umur selama proses penangkapan.
KontraS menuntut pada Polri untuk mengakui bahwa aparat kepolisian telah melakukan tindak kekerasan, penangkapan, teror, perampasan, dan intimidasi kepada masyarakat umum, peserta aksi, dan jurnalis di Gedung Negara Grahadi.
“Kami juga meminta polisi untuk menyampaikan permohonan maaf pada pihak korban dan masyarakat atas tindakan tersebut. Kedua melakukan evaluasi secara menyeluruh terhadap kinerja seluruh anggota aparat Polda Jatim dan Polrestabes Surabaya,” ujarnya
Selain itu, menurut Rahmat, bagi aparat kepolisian yang terlibat dalam tindak kekerasan, mereka bisa diberhentikan secara tidak hormat sesuai dengan proses hukum yang berlaku.
“Terakhir, kami meminta untuk hak korban bisa dipenuhi dengan memberi kompensasi dan rehabilitasi yang layak demi kemanusiaan,” katanya.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Intimidation and Threats, Use of Excessive Force, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Student
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 10, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Oct 7, 2020
- Event Description
Ratusan Mahasiswa Unima menggelar aksi menolak Omnibus Law UU Cipta Kerja. Para mahasiswa berkumpul di titik depan gerbang kampus, Rabu (7/10).
Rencananya, para mahasiswa bakal melanjutkan menyuarakan Mosi Tidak Percaya ke kantor DPRD Minahasa. Namun masih di depan Poli klinik, para mahasiswa langsung dihadang pihak kepolisian.
Hal itu kemudian menimbulkan kericuhan antara mahasiswa dan kepolisian. Pasalnya, para mahasiswa yang hendak keluar kampus, dihadang pihak kepolisian. Kepolisian kemudian diduga melakukan tindakan represif dan mengangkut 17 mahasiswa yang sementara berdemo.
Sementara para mahasiswa lainnya sempat terjadi kejar-kejaran dengan kepolisian. Bahkan sejumlah mahasiswa sempat ada yang dipukul menggunakan kayu dari tiang-tiang panji mahasiswa. Karena sejumlah mahasiswa ada yang berusaha menghalangi polisi yang akan menangkap teman mereka.
“Kami hanya ingin menyuarakan Mosi Tidak Percaya Kami, tetap kenapa polisi datang menghalangi dan memukuli kami. Teman-teman kami bahkan ditangkap. Katanya mengayomi tapi kok malah mencelakai kami mahasiswa,” ungkap Hirmawan salah satu mahasiswa.
Sementara itu, Kapolres Minahasa AKBP Denny Situmorang SIK saat dikonfirmasi di nomor 0852438xxxx belum merespon hingga berita ini diturunkan.
- Impact of Event
- 17
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Restrictions on Movement, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Freedom of movement, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Student
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 10, 2021
- Country
- Indonesia
- Initial Date
- Oct 8, 2020
- Event Description
Sebanyak enam mahasiswa Universitas Pelita Bangsa (UPB) kritis usai bentrok dengan polisi saat aksi tolak Omnibus Undang-undang (UU) Cipta Kerja (Ciptaker) di Kawasan Industri Jababeka, Cikarang Jawa Barat, Rabu (7/10/2020) kemarin. Keenam mahasiswa tersebut harus menjalani perawatan di Rumah Sakit Central Medika Cikarang, Jawa Barat.
Salah satu korban bernama Budi Nasrullah, dia mengaku hidungnya patah dan dua giginya retak akibat menerima bogem mentah polisi. Mahasiswa yang juga mengalami luka yakni Nasrul Firmansyah. Bahkan ia harus menjalani operasi lantaran tulang kepalanya retak.
"Enam mahasiswa kritis. Saya sendiri hidung patah, gigi retak dua," ucap Nasrullah dengan suara serak kepada Tirto sambil menahan rasa sakit, Kamis (8/10/2020)
"Satu [Nasrul Firmansyah] masuk tahap operasi [Rabu, 7 Oktober] karena tulang kepalanya retak, dia yang kena tembak peluru karet," tambahnya.
Mantan Ketua BEM UPB Tahun 2017-2018 itu menceritakan ia bersama rekan-rekannya awalnya berkumpul di Kampus UPB Cikarang pukul 11.00 WIB untuk menggelar aksi tolak Omnibus Law UU Ciptaker menuju PT. Samsung. Dia mengklaim sebanyak 800-an massa aksi.
Budi saat itu menjadi orator mengarahkan ratusan massa aksi ke Kawasan Industri Jababeka 2, Cikarang. Setelah berorasi menyampaikan aspirasinya, mereka bergerak ke Kawasan Industri Jababeka 1. Tepat di depan PT. Tokai yang ada di Jababeka 1, sejumlah polisi mulai menghadang massa aksi.
"Terjadi bentrok, kami maju, mau melangkah, terjadi dorong-dorongan lah. Kami tidak main kontak fisik, hanya dorong, ternyata kami ditembaki peluru karet. Yang parah itu Nasrul langsung kena kepalanya karena dekat banget jaraknya," ucapnya.
Tubuh Nasrul pun terkapar di jalan, wajahnya terlihat penuh darah dan menodai almamater kampusnya yang berwana biru. Nasrul pun langsung dilarikan ke Rumah Sakit Central Medika Cikarang.
"Saya mau melerai, pasukan itu sudah mundur sambil menarik Nasrul, saya angkat tangan ke pihak polisi, saya balik badan ke mahasiswa, saya ditarik, dibawa ke kerumunan polisi, diseret, dipukuli," katanya.
Budi yang berstatus mahasiswa semester 10 itu mengaku dibawa ke mobil polisi sebanyak dua kali dan selalu menerima bogem mentah dari aparat.
"Seluruh badan dipukuli, dari pinggang ke kepala. Ganti-gantian polisi yang pukuli, banyak, enggak tahu jumlahnya berapa," tuturnya.
Tak lama setelah dipukuli, dia dibebaskan oleh polisi dan kembali ke barisan massa. Sekitar pukul 16.00 WIB, massa pun kembali ke kampus UPB.
"Saat ini tersisa saya dan Nasrul yang dirawat di Rumah Sakit karena butuh perawatan," tuturnya.
Dihubungi terpisah, Humas UPB Nining Yuningsih mengaku kondisi dua mahasiswanya yakni Budi Nasrullah dan Nasrul Firmansyah sudah membaik dan masih dilakukan perawatan di Rumah Sakit Central Medika Cikarang.
"Nasrul masih dirawat karena ada benturan sedikit di kepala. Dia dan Roy [Budi Nasrullah] masih dirawat," kata dia kepada Tirto, Kamis (8/10/2020).
Dia mengklaim pihak kampus UPB Cikarang telah merawat para mahasiswa yang ikut berdemo dengan baik. Sementara seluruh pembiayaan sejumlah mahasiswa yang dirawat, ditanggung oleh Polres Bekasi, Jawa Barat.
Nining menuturkan pihak Kampus UPB Cikarang belum bisa memberikan tuntutan kepada polisi atas tindakan kekerasan aparat yang membuat enam mahasiswanya dirawat.
"Yang penting anak-anak sembuh dulu, kalau memang kondisi gimana, nanti tinggal kesaksian anak-anak dan polisi, saya tidak ada di lapangan jadi kronologi tidak tahu," ucapnya.
- Impact of Event
- 6
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Restrictions on Movement, Use of Excessive Force, Violence (physical), Wounds and Injuries
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Freedom of movement, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Student
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 10, 2021
- Country
- Pakistan
- Initial Date
- Dec 20, 2020
- Event Description
Pakistani police have arrested another member of a civil rights movement campaigning for the country's ethnic Pashtun minority amid an apparent crackdown on the group.
A member of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) told RFE/RL that Muhammad Sher Mehsud was taken away late on December 20 when officers raided his house in the port city of Karachi.
A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the arrest but could not provide details about the charges against Mehsud, who was one of the organizers of an unsanctioned rally in Karachi on December 6.
The day after the gathering, police filed a case against as many as 19 PTM members, including a lawmaker and leader of the movement, Ali Wazir, who faces sedition charges over accusations he made anti-state comments during the Karachi rally.
Wazir is to remain in police custody until December 30 when he will be presented before an anti-terrorism court.
His family have said his life is in danger in custody, a claim that the police officials reject.
Police on December 18 arrested another PTM leader, Noorullah Tareen, hours after thousands of supporters of the rights’ group protested in a dozen cities and towns of Pakistan against Wazir’s arrest.
The PTM, which has campaigned since 2018 for the civil rights of Pakistan’s estimated 35 million ethnic Pashtuns, has attracted tens of thousands of people to public rallies in recent years to denounce the powerful Pakistani Army's heavy-handed tactics in its fight against the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups in the country's northwest.
International rights groups say Pakistani authorities have banned peaceful rallies organized by the PTM and some of its leading members have been arbitrarily detained and prevented from traveling within the country. Some members have also faced charges of sedition and cybercrimes.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment, Raid
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security, Right to political participation
- HRD
- Minority rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Jan 3, 2021
- Event Description
On 3 January, Thanakon (last name withheld), 17, received a summons on a Section 112 charge issued by Buppharam Police Station. TLHR said that the charge is likely to be related to a demonstration on 6 December 2020 at Wongwian Yai.
Jiratita (last name withheld), 23, was also charged with royal defamation for a speech given at the protest on 2 December 2020 at the Lad Phrao intersection. Anon Nampa, Parit Chiwarak, Shinawat Chankrachang and Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul also face Section 112 charges for their involvement in the same protest.
TLHR noted that the charges against those involved in the 2 December protest were filed by a member of the public, which shows the problem of anyone being able to file a complaint under this law, therefore allowing it to be used by various political factions against each other.
Meanwhile, several protest leaders have received further charges under Section 112. Parit is now facing 12 counts, Anon is facing 8 counts, Panusaya is facing 6 counts, while Panupong is facing 5 counts.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community), Woman
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, WHRD, Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Dec 31, 2020
- Event Description
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) reported that Nat (pseudonym), one of the admins for the Facebook page “Khana Ratsadon,” was arrested on 31 December, after the police searched their house and confiscated their phones, yellow duck calendars, and commemorative medals.
Nat was taken to Nongkhaem Police Station and charged with royal defamation. The police claimed that the calendars contain images and messages which insult the monarchy.
TLHR also said that, during the arrest, the officers did not present an arrest warrant or inform Nat of their rights.
The police denied bail to Nat at the inquiry level, who was therefore held at Nongkhaem Police Station over the New Year holiday while the court was closed.
Nat was taken to Taling Chan Criminal Court on 2 January 2021 for a temporary detention request. Their lawyer objected to the request on the ground that the arrest was unlawful, as the officers did not present an arrest warrant and the arrest was not due to a flagrant offence.
The Court accepted the temporary request. However, Nat was later granted bail using Move Forward Party’s Amarat Chokepamitkul’s MP position as security and was released.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment, Raid
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Pakistan
- Initial Date
- Dec 16, 2020
- Event Description
Ali Wazir, a lawmaker and leader of a civil rights movement campaigning for Pakistan’s ethnic Pashtun minority, has appeared before a judge following his arrest in the northwestern city of Peshawar on anti-state charges.
Another leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), Said Alam Mehsud, told RFE/RL on December 17 that the judge granted a request by Wazir’s lawyers to let their client fly to the port city of Karachi, where he is facing charges.
It was not immediately clear when Wazir would be taken to Karachi.
Earlier, police officials in Karachi told RFE/RL that Wazir, PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen, and two other leaders of the movement, lawmaker Mohsin Dawar and Sanna Ejaz, had been charged with making anti-state speeches during an unsanctioned rally in the city on December 6.
Wazir was arrested in Peshawar on December 16 after he attended a gathering marking the sixth anniversary of the massacre of more than 150 people at a Peshawar school in December 2014.
It was not immediately clear why police had not arrested the other PTM leaders accused in the case.
Under Pakistani law, lawmakers are immune from arrest until the National Assembly speaker or the Senate chairman approves it.
Police officials in Karachi told RFE/RL that Wazir’s arrest was sanctioned by the lower house’s speaker, Asad Qaisar, who has not commented on the matter.
The PTM has campaigned since 2018 for the civil rights of Pakistan’s estimated 35 million ethnic Pashtuns, many of whom live near the border of Afghanistan where the military has conducted campaigns it says defeated the Pakistani Taliban.
The movement has attracted tens of thousands of people to public rallies in recent years to denounce the powerful Pakistani Army's heavy-handed tactics that have killed thousands of Pashtun civilians and forced millions more to abandon their homes since 2003.
International rights groups say authorities have banned peaceful rallies organized by the PTM and some of its leading members have been arbitrarily detained and prevented from traveling within the country. Some members have also faced charges of sedition and cybercrimes.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Enactment of repressive legislation and policies, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to liberty and security, Right to political participation
- HRD
- Minority rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Dec 14, 2020
- Event Description
Anti-government protest leader Anon Nampa reported to Bang Pho police on Monday to acknowledge another lese majeste charge under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, this time in connection the rally in front of parliament, near the Kiak Kai intersection, on Nov 17.
He was accompanied by Pongsit Namuangrak, of the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre.
Mr Anon said he was reporting in response to a summons issued by Bang Pho police, media reports said.
He was not dispirited by the charge. He had already received four summonses on lese majeste charges and expected there were more to come, from every past rally
All protest leaders were prepared to enter the legal process, he said.
Mr Anon said more demonstrations would be held next year. They would be intensified, to reflect the people's state of mind, the economy and politics.
Their three demands would remain - the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, rewriting of the constitution and reform of the royal institution.
He said this year's rallies were the overture to a long struggle.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to liberty and security, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Lawyer, Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Kazakhstan
- Initial Date
- Dec 21, 2020
- Event Description
A Kazakh activist has been handed a parole-like sentence for his links to a banned political movement.
A court in the northwestern city of Aqtobe on December 21 sentenced Alibek Moldin to one year of "freedom limitation" after finding him guilty of being a leader of the banned Koshe (Street) party associated with the banned Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) movement.
Moldin was detained and placed under house arrest on November 10. His sentence means that he has to report to police on a regular basis, cannot leave Aqtobe, or change his address without police permission until December 21, 2021.
The 37-year-old activist has maintained his innocence and said at the trial that the case against him is politically motivated.
"I am being persecuted by the dictatorial regime.... I have been a political activist since 2016 and since that time I, my parents, and my brothers have been under pressure. There were numerous attempts by the local authorities to force me to change my political views. Several administrative and criminal cases have been launched against me. I was ordered to pay fines and forced out of my job. There are at least 150 activists in Kazakhstan who, like me, have been under pressure because of their political views," Moldin said.
Moldin's lawyer, Adil Tulkibaev, told RFE/RL that the court decision will be appealed.
DVK is led by Mukhtar Ablyazov, the fugitive former head of Kazakhstan’s BTA Bank and an outspoken critic of the Kazakh government. Kazakh authorities labeled the DVK extremist and banned the group in March 2018.
Several activists have been sentenced to various prison terms and limitations in Kazakhstan in recent months for involvement in the DVK's activities, including taking part in DVK-organized unsanctioned rallies.
Human rights groups have said Kazakhstan’s law on public gatherings contradicts international standards as it requires preliminary permission from authorities to hold rallies and envisions prosecution for organizing and participating in unsanctioned rallies, even though the nation’s constitution guarantees its citizens the right of free assembly.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment, Restrictions on Movement
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of movement, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Dec 16, 2020
- Event Description
Protest leader Parit "Penguin" Chiwarak reported to Samranrat police on Wednesday to acknowledge a police charge of causing damage to public property during a rally at the Democracy Monument on Oct 14.
He was accompanied by Noraseth Nanongtoom of the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre.
Mr Parit said he reported in response to a police summons and was charged with causing damage to public property during the Oct 14 rally.
On that day he and other demonstrators had only moved potted trees from the base of the monument to a space nearby, he said. He had not seen any damage to the plants or pots.
Mr Parit thought the charge was intended to keep him busy with legal cases.
Anti-government movement leaders, including Mr Parit, have been summonsed to hear multiple charges, one after another, in connection with past demonstrations demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, the rewriting of the constitution and reform of the monarchy.
The most serious of these are charges of lese majeste under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, which carry hefty prison terms on conviction.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to liberty and security, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Kazakhstan
- Initial Date
- Dec 22, 2020
- Event Description
An activist in Kazakhstan's southern region of Turkistan has been handed a parole-like sentence for his links with a banned political movement.
The Keles district court on December 22 sentenced Marat Duisembiev to 3 1/2 years of "freedom limitation" after finding him guilty of involvement in the activities of the banned opposition Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK).
The trial was held online due to coronavirus restrictions. Duisembiev participated in the process via a video link from a detention center in the regional capital, Shymkent.
The 44-year-old activist was arrested and charged in August after he openly called for people to take part in an unsanctioned rally organized by the DVK.
Human rights organizations in Kazakhstan recognized him as a political prisoner last month.
Duisenbiev's sentence was handed down two days after another activist, Alibek Moldin, was sentenced to one year of "freedom limitation" for being associated with the DVK-linked unregistered Koshe (Street) Party, also banned in Kazakhstan as an extremist organization.
DVK is led by Mukhtar Ablyazov, the fugitive former head of Kazakhstan’s BTA Bank and outspoken critic of the Kazakh government. Kazakh authorities labeled DVK extremist and banned the group in March 2018.
Several activists have been sentenced to various prison terms and limitations in Kazakhstan in recent months for involvement in the DVK's activities, including taking part in the DVK-organized unsanctioned rallies.
Opponents of the Kazakh government have said that the crackdown on the DVK's supporters has intensified ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for January 10.
Human rights groups have said Kazakhstan’s law on public gatherings contradicts international standards as it requires preliminary permission from authorities to hold rallies and envisions prosecution for organizing and participating in unsanctioned rallies even though the nation’s constitution guarantees its citizens the right of free assembly.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment, Restrictions on Movement
- Rights Concerned
- #COVID-19, Freedom of movement, Right to fair trial, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Kazakhstan
- Initial Date
- Dec 21, 2020
- Event Description
Authorities in the northwestern Kazakh city of Aqtobe have forcibly placed a wheelchair-bound activist in a psychiatric clinic after he allegedly tore down a poster of the ruling Nur Otan party.
Dana Zhanai, the chairwoman of the Qaharman human rights center, said on December 22 that activist Asanali Suyubaev had been taken to a psychiatric clinic a day earlier, a move she says is likely part of a campaign by the ruling party to sideline activists ahead of January 10 parliamentary elections.
The clinic's deputy chief physician, Esenaman Nysanov, confirmed to RFE/RL that Suyubaev had been brought to the facility by medical personnel and police.
"The patient has mental changes. But he does not accept it. He behaved in a strange way, namely, while outside, he was tearing election posters, which can be defined in a medical term as addictive behavior," Nysanov said, adding that Suyubaev had been under "psychiatric control" since 2012.
Aqtobe police refused to comment on Suyubaev’s situation.
Zhanai told RFE/RL that Suyubaev was forcibly placed in a psychiatric clinic for 20 days in April after he distributed leaflets for the unregistered and banned Koshe (Street) party.
"The authorities isolated him intentionally right before the [January 10] parliamentary elections. Activists have started a campaign to prove that the ruling Nur Otan party's ratings are fictitious and that votes will be stolen during the poll. Because of that, many activists across Kazakhstan are being persecuted now. Many are under house arrest, in detention centers, and in this case, they put Suyubaev in a psychiatric clinic," Zhanai said.
Rights activists in Kazakhstan have criticized authorities for using a Soviet-era method of stifling dissent by placing opponents in psychiatric clinics..
Earlier in November, another government critic, journalist Aigul Otepova, was placed in a psychiatric clinic for 18 days. She was released on December 11 and remains under house arrest over posting an article on Facebook criticizing official efforts to curb the coronavirus outbreak.
Investigators have charged her with having links with banned opposition movement Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan, which Otepova denies.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Restrictions on Movement
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of movement, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Dec 31, 2020
- Event Description
At least 16 people were taken into custody after riot police broke up an impromptu prawn market set up by pro-democracy activists on Thursday.
The stunt was marked as a “New Year’s Eve surprise” by the campaigners, who said they want to help seafood businesses that bore the brunt of the new coronavirus outbreak. But police declared the gathering illegal and moved in to make arrests.
Activist leader Piyarat “Toto” Chongthep is one of the 16 people detained by the police. Reports say they will be charged with violating the Emergency Decree’s ban on gatherings, breaching public health regulations, and using loudspeakers without permission.
Demonstrators initially gathered on Sanam Luang with their shrimp stall on Thursday morning, but police soon arrived and dispersed them from the field. Scuffles also broke out as police made arrests. One woman said she would file an assault complaint against the police for beating her during the operation.
The protesters later moved to Ratchadamnoen Avenue, where they were selling the shrimps at the price of 359 baht per kilogram to pedestrians. By afternoon, riot police armed with shields moved in and made more arrests.
Citing threats of the coronavirus, the government on Tuesday bans all gatherings unless they receive special exemptions from the authorities. Health officials report over 180 new coronavirus cases on Thursday as the second wave of the outbreak continued to spread across the country.
Thailand has confirmed a total of 6,884 coronavirus cases and 61 deaths.
The virus resurgence, which has been traced to a shrimp market in Samut Sakhon province, also plunged the seafood industry into a slump. A seafood vendor also killed himself last week after suffering dire financial losses.
- Impact of Event
- 16
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- #COVID-19, Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Dec 21, 2020
- Event Description
A well-known actress who is one of the most high-profile supporters of Thailand’s pro-democracy protest movement answered a police summons Monday charging her with violating the country’s harsh law against defaming the monarchy, even though she is not known to have spoken publicly about the royal institution.
Inthira “Sai” Charoenpura, who is also a singer, has drawn both praise and criticism for giving material support and raising funds for the student-led movement. Along with seven protest leaders, she presented herself at a police station in Bangkok to hear charges that they had violated the country’s lese majeste law, which calls for a prison term of three to 15 years for defaming the king or members of his immediate family.
The law, known as Article 112, has long drawn criticism for its harshness and terms that let anyone file a complaint, allowing its use for partisan political purposes. Its use against Inthira appeared to be unprecedented since she was not directly tied to any comments about the monarchy. She has helped provide food, protective gear and other equipment for the protest rallies over several months that have attracted thousands of people.
Charging Inthira “sets a very disturbing precedent,” said Sunai Phasuk, a researcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch, adding that it now seems that being an accessory to any actions that Thai authorities consider to be offensive to the monarchy are punishable. “So now the net is being cast very wide, much wider than ever before,” he said.
Inthira refused to sign a legal document acknowledging she has been charged.
“It is ridiculous that I supplied food and got this charge. Does it mean anybody can face the same situation if they are not on the government’s side?” Inthira said. “I am not worried. I will continue supporting the rallies no matter what.”
She said that as a consequence of supporting the rallies, about 70% of her work had been canceled.
Article 112 has not been invoked for almost three years, after King Maha Vajiralongkorn informed the government that he did not wish to see it used. But it was revived last month after Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha announced that all laws would be employed to prosecute protesters who failed to respect other people’s rights and liberties.
The legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights has tallied at least 35 individuals who have been charged under the lese majeste law since Nov. 24.
Although Inthira is not cited for any remarks about the monarchy, other protest leaders have been outspoken in their criticism of the institution, which they are demanding be reformed to make it accountable. They consider it a feudal institution unsuitable for a democratic state and accuse it of wielding too much power.
The protest movement has had three core demands: that Prayuth step down because they believe he was elected unfairly; that the constitution be amended to make it more democratic; and that the monarchy be reformed.
In recent weeks, protest leaders have put the focus on the monarchy, which is the most sensitive issue. Many Thais treat the monarchy with reverence, considering it an untouchable institution that is the heart and soul of the nation.
Until the middle of this year, when the protesters raised the issue, public criticism of it was unprecedented, There has been a sharp reaction from royalists, including the military, a dominant force in Thai politics, which considers defense of the monarchy to be one of its main missions.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Artist, Pro-democracy activist, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Nov 12, 2020
- Event Description
Authorities in Qinghai province in northwestern China last month detained a Tibetan woman known for her online advocacy of democracy and the rule of law, holding her for 10 days before releasing her under continuing surveillance, Tibetan sources say.
Tsering Tso, who had drawn police attention with her postings on the social media platform WeChat, was taken into custody at her home in the provincial capital Xining on Nov. 12 and brought by 10 officers to a detention center in Trika (in Chinese, Guide) county, an India-based Tibetan rights group said this week.
“In addition to surviving only on steamed buns and boiled water during her detention, she was subjected to ill-treatment and intimidation,” the Tibetan Centre For Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) said, adding that detaining officers had hoped to pressure her to give up her advocacy work.
“By detaining people like Tsering Tso, the Chinese government is violating the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which China has signed and agreed to abide by. However, China is inflicting many other policies on Tibetans in Tibet that violate international laws,” TCHRD researcher Tenzin Dawa said.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is one of some 60 rights instruments under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on Dec. 10, 1948.
With the approach of the annual UN Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, estimates of political prisoners in Tibet range from more than 500 in U.S. Congressional reports to more than 2,000 in a database kept by the TCHRD.
“Tibetan political prisoners endure harsh prison conditions, including torture, deprivation of food and sleep, and long periods in isolation cells,” said the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet, which notes that “opaque” Chinese record keeping makes it hard to determine how many are being held.
“In the current political climate imposed by Chinese authorities, even the most mild expressions of Tibetan cultural or religious identity can be punished by torture and arrest,” says the ICT.
One of the most famous prisoners of conscience is Tibet’s Panchen Lama, who vanished into Chinese custody as a young boy 25 years ago and has not been heard from since.
Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, was recognized on May 14, 1995 at the age of six as the 11th Panchen Lama, the reincarnation of his predecessor, the 10th Panchen Lama.
The recognition by exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama angered Chinese authorities, who promptly took the boy and his family into custody and then installed another boy, Gyaincain Norbu, as their own candidate in his place.
The ranks of Tibet’s political prisoners include numerous monks, scholars, educators, and artists.
Beaten by police
Tsering Tso had also served a period of detention in 2017 after petitioning for the rights of Tibetans to apply for passports, during which she was physically assaulted by a security officer named Jamga who kicked her in the head, face, chest, and abdomen, leaving her hospitalized for her injuries, TCHRD said.
Police officers in November gave no reason for her detention following a trip she made to Thailand, Tso told RFA’s Mandarin Service in an interview.
“There were no concrete reasons for my arrest,” Tso said, adding, “But while I was returning from Thailand, I had a feeling they would arrest me, and I think they had already planned this from the beginning.”
“Finally, on Nov. 2, I was accused of violating the law by sending two message on WeChat related to issues of ‘stability,’ and I was detained for 10 days. I have no idea how my postings might have threatened stability,” Tso said.
A Nov. 13 announcement by the Trika county Public Security Bureau said that Tso had been charged with disseminating discussions of “provocative issues” on social media, adding that she would be fined and held in administrative detention for 10 days.
Tsering Tso had regularly written on topics like democracy and the rule of law on her social media platforms, Dawa told RFA in an interview. “But the Chinese government has always threatened people who speak up about these things.”
Reached for comment on Monday, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said, “We continue to press the [People’s Republic of China] to respect the freedom of speech and beliefs of its own people, and in particular those who seek to protect Tibet’s unique religion, language, and culture.”
Tibetan researcher held
A Tibetan researcher at Tibet University in Tibet’s regional capital Lhasa has meanwhile also been detained, with no word given as to his whereabouts since he was taken into custody in June, RFA has learned.
Kunsang Gyaltsen, a student in his late 20s from Qinghai’s Mangra (Chinese, Guinan) county, is thought to have been arrested for circulating booklets containing unauthorized views of Tibet’s political history, a Tibetan living in exile told RFA, citing sources in the region.
“Chinese authorities have concealed all information about him, and despite numerous attempts by family members to learn where he is being held, there has been no response from authorities at all,” RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Pema Gyal, an analyst at TCHRD, confirmed the account of Gyaltsen’s arrest and disappearance, adding that information about his current status is unavailable “because his parents have been denied access to him.”
A formerly independent nation, Tibet was taken over and incorporated into China by force nearly 70 years ago, following which Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and thousands of his followers fled into exile in India, and Beijing maintains a tight grip on Tibet and on Tibetan-populated regions of western Chinese provinces.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Intimidation and Threats, Surveillance
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to health, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security, Right to privacy
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Dec 17, 2020
- Event Description
Two students facing charges under the lèse majesté law for participating in a “fashion show” during a pro-democracy protest on Silom Road went to hear the charges yesterday (17 December), while members of the We Volunteer protest guard group and other protesters gathered outside the police station in Thai traditional dress to show support.
Jatuporn Sae-Ung, 23, and Noppasin (last name withheld), 16, went to Yannawa Police Station to hear the charges after they were accused of insulting the Queen by wearing Thai traditional dress, a gesture seen as mockery of the royal family, at a “fashion show” during the protest on Silom Road on 29 October 2020.
Jatuporn was immediately released after she was informed of the charges without needing to post bail. She said after her release that, during the protest, she only wore Thai traditional dress and did not give any speeches, but she was accused of imitating the Queen. She said she would like Section 112 to be repealed, but commented that it might be difficult and that the law seems to be used as a form of harassment.
Noppasin, on the other hand, was taken to the Juvenile and Family Court, so that the court could examine whether the case was handled properly according to the protocol for pressing charges against a minor. The inquiry officer also submitted a detention request, which the Court approved as the charge carries high penalty, despite Noppasin’s lawyer objecting to the request on the ground that he would not flee and will report to the aithorities as summoned. He was eventually released on bail.
Khumklao Songsomboon from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) said that, according to the inquiry officer, Noppasin is charged because he wore a tank top, which was interpreted as mockery. Noppasin has denied all charges.
Khumklao also said that, even though Noppasin was granted bail, he still has to report to the Juvenile Detention Centre on Monday. He also has to report to the inquiry officer along with Jatuporn on 11 January 2021, when the inquiry officer is scheduled to submit the case to the public prosecutor.
As Jatuporn and Noppasin were hearing their charges, the We Volunteer (WeVo) protest guard group organized a rally in front of Yannawa Police Station, even though the police stated that they had not notified the police of a public assembly and must disperse by 11.30 a.m. Many people who joined the rally wore Thai traditional attire to show their support.
Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak wore a red Thai costume with blue diamond accessories. He made a speech criticizing the illogical use of lèse majesté law including this case and another involving a pro-democracy actress who supported the protests with food.
He also urged the authorities to accept the demand of the people and abolish the lèse majesté law, otherwise, the law will no longer be justified and the people will abolish it no matter what the royal institution thinks.
Parit said that lèse majesté charges had been filed not in the cause of justice but as a punishment on behalf of the King. And if the authorities continued to obstruct democratization by the lèse majesté law, this meant that they were trying to make the royal institution an enemy of the people.
As of 17 December, a total of 34 people are now facing charges under Section 112 in connection with the recent protests.
Actor Inthira Charoenpura and volunteer medic Natthathida Meewangpla received summonses on Wednesday (16 December 2020). Inthira has been supporting the pro-democracy protests by donating food and equipment and supporting other activists’ fundraising efforts, but has never given speeches. Natthathida, who was previously been charged with royal defamation in 2015, received a summons from Bangkhen Police Station, most likely for the protest in front of the 11th Infantry Regiment headquarters on 29 November.
Student activist Phongsatorn Tancharoen, a member of the student activist group Mahasarakham University Democracy Front, received a summons from Paholyothin Police Station, most likely in relation to the protest in front of the SCB headquarters on 25 November.
Narin (last name withheld) is also facing charges under Section 112, most likely for putting a sticker on a display in honour of the King. Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) also reported that, following the 19 – 20 September protest, Narin was arrested by plainclothes officers for charges under the Computer Crimes Act, and accused of running the satirical Facebook page “กูkult.”
Others who have already been summoned have received summonses for additional charges, including human rights lawyer and protest leader Anon Nampa, who is now facing 7 counts of royal defamation.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to liberty and security, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, WHRD, Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Dec 3, 2020
- Event Description
Authorities in the central province of Hunan have detained a prominent rights activist after he helped to publicize the story of Dong Yaoqiong, a woman sent to a psychiatric hospital for splashing ink on a poster of ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping in a Twitter livestream.
Ou Biaofeng was taken away from his home in Hunan's Zhuzhou city by officers of the Lusong district police department on Dec. 3, who held him under administrative detention for 15 days for "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble."
"Four state security police came to our home without prior notice and took him away," his wife Wei Xinxin told RFA. "The fact that he was taken away so suddenly makes me quite worried, because it is a bit different from previous times."
Ou's friend Chen Siming said Ou's detention was linked to his public support for Dong.
"This is an open secret, and the police and state security police know that," Chen said.
"He was very concerned about [Dong's recent video] and has been in contact with Dong Yaoqiong on Twitter since then," he said.
Following her release from the psychiatric hospital, Dong posted a video on Twitter on Nov. 30 saying angrily that she had no mental illness and complaining of being held under long-term surveillance after her release.
Chen said the authorities likely blame Ou for international news coverage of the video, which broke Dong's public silence following her release.
"[Ou Biaofeng] was the only channel of communication between Dong and the rest of the world," he said. "Dong would never have gotten that much publicity without him."
"She also mentions Ou Biaofeng in the video."
Chen said Ou also has a track record of speaking out on human rights issues, and had been warned by the state security police that he risked a jail term over the cumulative effect of his activities.
A Changsha-based friend of Ou's who gave only the nickname Rosemary said that Ou remained in detention at the end of the 15-day sentence, and that police have been questioning his friends and fellow activists since his detention, suggesting that they may be building a case against him.
"I know of three or four people [who have been questioned]," Rosemary said. "He was held under 15 days' administrative detention, but the stability maintenance system kicked into place in other provinces, across the whole country ... and people were warned not to follow the case or speak out in support of him."
"We are worried this 15-day administrative detention is just a pretext [ahead of a criminal case]," she said. "[Other activists] have also had their administrative detentions converted into criminal detention."
On Tuesday, defense lawyer Zhang Lei was denied permission to meet with Ou, who is being held at the Zhuzhou Detention Center.
"When I was in detention, my friends could meet with me twice a week," Chen, who accompanied the lawyer, told RFA. "Now the detention center is saying that all meetings are suspended due to the pandemic."
"Not even lawyers are being allowed to meet with detainees," he said. "I am pretty worried, given what just happened."
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Enactment of repressive legislation and policies, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- Dec 6, 2020
- Event Description
A spokesman for Cambodia’s Prison Department denied reports that two environmental activists had been attacked and beaten by other inmates after refusing to end a hunger strike launched to commemorate Human Rights Day on Dec. 10.
So Metta and Chhoeun Daravy were assaulted on Dec. 6, four days into their eight-day strike, but resumed their protest immediately afterward, So Metta’s sister Eng Vanndy told RFA on Thursday after visiting her sister in jail.
“Prisoners convicted of murder and drug crimes assaulted them, and she was severely beaten, especially around her face,” Eng Vanndy said, referring to So Metta and adding that her sister and the other woman were separated during the attack.
“I worry for her life. Every time I visit, I never hear good news. I am very sad, and I want to see her released,” Eng Vanndy said.
Prison Department spokesman Nuth Savna denied the two activists had been attacked, saying that So Metta had refused to return to her cell after a break, and that guards had ordered other prisoners to “carry her there.”
“I investigated the incident, and was told that other inmates had carried So Metta back inside her cell because it was time for the cells to be closed,” he said, adding that So Metta had attacked other prisoners herself while they were taking her back to her cell.
Also on Friday, a Cambodian appeals court refused to grant bail to five activists arrested in September after criticizing the government’s handling of a border dispute with Vietnam.
Kean Sothea, the mother of activist Tha Lavy—a member of Khmer Tavarak, the Khmer Student Intelligent League, and arrested with So Metta—urged the government and the courts to free her son, now scheduled for trial on Dec. 30.
“I want the court to release him so he can return to school,” she said.
Freedom of expression
Ny Sokha of the Cambodian rights group Adhoc said he was disappointed by the court’s refusal to grant bail to the activists, saying they had only expressed their views according to the law and had not committed the crimes alleged by the court.
“All we can do is urge the government again and again to consider dropping all charges against these detainees, who are simply human rights and political activists,” he said.
“They were exercising their right to freedom of expression to help society and to criticize the government, based on democratic principles.”
Fifteen wives of jailed members of the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) meanwhile resumed their weekly Friday protest outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, calling on the court to free their loved ones.
Police confiscated the protesters’ banners and photos of their husbands and blocked them after they tried to march together to the Embassy of the European Union, but members of the group then went separately to the embassy by taxi.
One woman, the wife of jailed CNRP activist Seng Chanthorn, told RFA that police had shoved and threatened her during their protest, adding that authorities should instead help to protect people who peacefully express their views.
The court should free her husband and all other prisoners detained only for criticizing government actions, she said.
“Even though we were harassed, we will continue to protest to demand they give our husbands back, because they are innocent,” she said.
'They still stand up'
Local rights group LICADHO in a report released this month said the arrest and imprisonment of more than a dozen human rights defenders in the second half of the year had “capped off three years of increasing repression by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) of peaceful advocacy and activism.”
But Cambodians across all sectors of the country still stand up to demand their basic rights in the face of repressive laws enforced by government-controlled courts, LICADHO said.
“Many have lost years of their lives to Cambodia’s overcrowded prisons,” the rights group said. “Others have faced physical attacks and life-threatening injuries.”
Reached for comment, government spokesman Phay Siphan slammed LICADHO’s report, saying that Cambodian authorities base their actions in cases like these on the country’s laws, and that LICADHO was only trying to secure more funding from its donors by releasing its report.
“This is just a way for them to get money for staff salaries,” Phay Siphan said.
“These are only LICADHO’s thoughts and recommendations, and there is nothing here that we need to consider. The government enforces the laws, and the courts have the right to make their own decisions on whether to release suspects or not,” he said.
The latest wave of arrests comes three years after CNPR President Kem Sokha was arrested in September 2017 over an alleged plot to overthrow the government with the help of Washington. Cambodia’s Supreme Court banned his party in November that year for its supposed role in the scheme.
The move to dissolve the CNRP marked the beginning of a wider crackdown by Prime Minister Hun Sen on the political opposition, NGOs, and the independent media that paved the way for his ruling Cambodian People’s Party to win all 125 seats in the country’s July 2018 general election.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- WHRD, Youth
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Non-state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Related Events
- Cambodia: group of youth prevented from staging a protest, a NGO worker followed by the police, Cambodia: six youth arrested for protesting the detention of labour leader
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Myanmar
- Initial Date
- Dec 14, 2020
- Event Description
Questions are being raised over a recent case opened against a DMG reporter in Arakan State who is being charged with defamation under the Telecommunications Law in connection with a recently published article, instead of first resorting to the News Media Law for resolution.
“It is as if a case is being filed against us because of hate toward us. We published the story in accordance with media ethics, so we don’t understand why such a case was filed against us,” said U Aung Marm Oo, editor-in-chief of Development Media Group (DMG).
Engineer U Maung Win from Road/Bridge Special Group (4) filed a lawsuit against Aung Kyaw Min aka Kyaw Myo Aung at the Maungdaw Myoma police station earlier this month under Section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law, alleging defamation on the erroneous premise that the story in question misquoted him.
Under the headline “Soonest repair needed at Maungdaw 3rd-Mile Bridge,” the article was published on the Facebook page and website of DMG on December 11.
U Aung Marm Oo said he had heard that the case was filed by U Maung Win at the behest of the Arakan State government.
“The plaintiff said he did not want to sue the reporter. We have heard that he was forced to sue the reporter by the local government,” DMG’s chief editor said.
Aung Kyaw Min was questioned at the Maungdaw Myoma police station on December 14 and was released on K500,000 ($370) bail.
Aung Kyaw Min, a Maungdaw-based DMG journalist who stands by his story, said the lawsuit against him is a threat to truth-seeking.
“The government seems to be cracking down on our journalists and the prosecution is a threat to the truth,” he said.
DMG phoned the head of the Maungdaw Myoma police station, Police Captain Ye Naing Tun, seeking comment on the case, but he could not be reached.
DMG has faced legal action previously, in a case that remains open. Sittwe Special Branch (SB) police filed charges against U Aung Marm Oo under Section 17(2) of the Unlawful Associations Act on May 1, 2019. He has been on the run since May 2019, and almost 20 months later, the charges against him have not been dropped.
If action is to be taken against a member of the media, in accordance with the 2014 News Media Law it is necessary to first file a complaint with the Myanmar Press Council (MPC).
The law states, “If any of the responsibilities or ethics required in Article 9 are considered to be breached by a News Media worker, the aggrieved department, organization or individual shall have the right to complain to the council first.”
Of the Arakan State capital Sittwe’s main three media outlets — Development Media Group, Narinjara News Agency and Western News — cases have reportedly been filed against U Aung Marm Oo of DMG and Narinjara’s chief editor, U Khaing Mrat Kyaw.
Ko Wunna Khwar Nyo, editor-in-chief of Western News, said the recent lawsuits against journalists in Arakan State are a source of concern for local reporters.
“We are concerned for our safety. There are only three media outlets in Arakan State. Reporters in Arakan State are increasingly concerned about the local government’s threat to prosecute under Section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law,” he added.
Maung Saungkha, director of the free speech advocacy group Athan, criticised the prosecution of journalists as deliberate, saying the local government should monitor them.
“I think the respective local governments should monitor these lawsuits. It is a shame that it is being pointed out by international and local civil society organisations. We think suing over trivial matters is a major obstacle to democracy,” he said.
Under the National League for Democracy (NLD) government, about 50% of all lawsuits against journalists have been filed under Section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law, according to Athan.
“The government should stop litigating and amend the Telecommunications Law as soon as possible to prevent such lawsuits in the future,” Maung Saungkha said.
The December 11 news story about the bridge in Maungdaw was based in part on an interview willfully given by the complainant U Maung Win. DMG has demanded that the case be withdrawn, saying that at no point did the article misquote or misattribute any of the cited individuals.
DMG is also insisting that the complainant first take his grievance to the Myanmar Press Council, which is empowered under the News Media law to arbitrate in such circumstances.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Enactment of repressive legislation and policies, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Government, Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Dec 15, 2020
- Event Description
Authorities put on trial Ge Zhihui, a human rights defender with disabilities, on December 15, 2020. Ms. Ge is an advocate for social and economic rights, who had been disabled by a demolition team while resisting the forced eviction of her family from their home. At her December 15 trial at the Beijing Fengtai District Court, she faced the charge of “picking quarrels & provoking trouble.” The prosecution’s case against her included the claims that Ms. Ge had showed support for persecuted human rights defender Cao Shunli, protested against officials who were interfering in a village election, and posted critical comments online. Except for her lawyer, nobody was allowed into the courtroom, not even her family members. The court did not announce a verdict. Police detained Ms. Ge in July 2019 and she has since languished at the Fengtai District Detention Facility. China ratified the international Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2008, The UN’s disability rights and social, economic and cultural rights treaty bodies are both currently conducting reviews of China’s implementation of the treaties.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Enactment of repressive legislation and policies, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Myanmar
- Initial Date
- Dec 21, 2020
- Event Description
Three youths charged under Section 19(a) of the Peaceful Assembly Law over a human rights demonstration in the Arakan State capital earlier this month appeared before the Sittwe Township Court on December 30.
Ko Min Bar Chay aka Ko Than Hla, one of the accused, said a meeting to develop a case management plan was held at the court on Wednesday.
“The judge asked both sides if we wanted to settle the case. Both sides said to go to trial,” he said.
More than 30 young people joined a demonstration in Sittwe to mark Human Rights Day, celebrated globally on December 10, during which participants denounced ongoing human rights violations in Arakan State. Their march began at Sittwe’s BXT port and proceeded along Shukhintha Street, with demonstrators holding placards protesting rights abuses. The three defendants were arrested by police near Sittwe Hotel, and were released on bail later that evening.
Ko Min Bar Chay, Ko Naing Naing Tun and Ma Khine Myat Thu from the Rakhine Youth New Generation Network were charged on December 21 by the head of the Sittwe Township police.
“I do not understand why [the judiciary] accepted the charge. We did not stage a protest. We did not criticise someone. But the legal [authorities] accepted the charge of the police against us,” Ko Min Bar Chay said. “It proves how Myanmar’s rule of law, justice and judiciary sector is deteriorating.”
Under Section 19 of the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law, anyone who is convicted of assembling or demonstrating without applying for a permit in advance faces up to three months in prison, a fine not to exceed K30,000 ($22.50), or both.
Their next court hearing is scheduled for on January 14.
- Impact of Event
- 3
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Enactment of repressive legislation and policies, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- WHRD, Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Nepal
- Initial Date
- Dec 11, 2020
- Event Description
Reporter with Dhangadhi-based Dinesh FM Narayan Awasthi received threats of attack through telephone for reporting news in Dhangadhi on December 11. Dhangadhi is situated in Sudurpaschim Province of Nepal.
According to Freedom Forum's representative Min Bam, news about a payment released without any work progress in the infrastructure development program led by Province's Assembly Member Nepalu Chaudhary was aired via FM radio on December 9.
Again on December 10, news claiming payments made on the basis of ‘only paper works’ in the area of Parliamentarian Chaudhary was published on www.dineshkhabar.com.
Following the publication of news, Ram Chandra Chaudhary calling himself a member of Municipality Committee Secretariat called on the phone and threatened Awasthi of physical assault using abusive words, said representative Bam.
Thereafter, Awasthi called Parliamentarian Chaudhary to inform him about the threat but the Parliamentarian in turn, replied that he deserves punishment for writing fake news and that he did not report in their favor.
However, FF has noted that reliable local sources have been quoted in the above-mentioned news.
Reporter Awasthi has informed local administration about the incident and is preparing to file a complaint against them, informed Bam.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Suspected state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Nepal
- Initial Date
- Dec 16, 2020
- Event Description
Chief Editor at https://www.kathmandukhabar.com/ Keshav Raj Pathak was issued death threat for reporting news in Kathmandu on December 16. Kathmandu is the federal capital of Nepal.
During conversation with Freedom Forum's media monitoring desk, editor Pathak shared that he has been reporting on various issues of illegal excavation and plotting of land in Budhanilkantha municipality. Recently the municipality and district forest authority had restricted ongoing plotting of land in the municipality following a complaint filed by Pathak.
"On the day of incident, two masked men approached me while walking along the plotting area and threatened saying- this is our plot; you have risked your life doing this so now bear consequences", said Pathak.
He further said that he has also informed local authority including Metropolitan Police Range about the incident requesting his safety.
Freedom Forum is concerned over the incident as it is sheer violation of press freedom. Despite availability of the legitimate ways to show dissatisfaction over news published, hostile behavior meted out against journalists time and again is worrying. Hence, FF strongly urges the concerned authority to ensure safety of the journalists and avoid any mishaps in future
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Death threat, Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Non-state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Nepal
- Initial Date
- Dec 23, 2020
- Event Description
Arjun Giri, editor at https://www.tandavnews.com/ (an online news portal) was issued threat of physical assault. He got such threat by a phone in Pokhara on December 23. Pokhara lies in Gandaki Province of Nepal.
Talking to Freedom Forum, Giri shared that a senior reporter with the online, Madhav Bhusal, had reported news entitled- 'sexual assault on women: a blot on the image of a religious guru Prakash' on December 20. An unknown person called on Bhusal's mobile and asked for the proof of the content in the news.
Bhusal then forwarded the call to Giri. The caller, who introduced himself as an officer from Central Bureau of Investigation also threatened Giri saying he would send his goons to the office for publishing the baseless news.
Giri, however, claimed that he had every proof for the news and was not scared of any threats.
"But, because the person says himself a police I have reported to District Police Office and CIB Police Headquarters about the incident," Giri shared.
Freedom Forum is concerned over the threat issued to journalist for reporting news. It is a gross violation of press freedom. One can seek the Nepal Press Council's help to show concern with news contents and follow legitimate ways.
Hence, FF strongly urges the concerned authority to investigate the case fairly and ensure security to the journalists.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Suspected state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Nepal
- Initial Date
- Dec 1, 2020
- Event Description
Jhapa-based reporter to Mountain Television Khagendra Ghimire and his camera person Bhaskar Shrestha were attacked by the government officials while reporting in a Land Revenue Office in Jhapa on December 1. Jhapa district lies in Province 1 of Nepal.
Talking to Freedom Forum's monitoring desk, Ghimire shared, "We were recording a video of a staff (Indra Rajbanshi) receiving bribe amount Rs 10,000 from a client. Meanwhile, the staff snatched the camera."
"Following this, we went to the office of the Chief Tara Dhungel to discuss the matter but Rajbanshi along with others thrashed us on our shoulders and face," added Ghimire.
Reporter Ghimire sustained injuries on his head, chest and has been undergoing treatment at the local hospital. Cameraperson Shrestha however, escaped injury from the incident.
Ghimire has also filed a First Information Report at the Area Police station, Damak.
A team of journalists are talking to the police chief demanding the arrest of the accused, informed Ghimire to FF.
Freedom Forum vehemently condemns the incident as it is a gross violation of press freedom. Reporting on the irregularities and the issues of public concern is the duty of a journalist. Also, the citizens pay tax to receive service from the public bodies thus, they deserve fair service delivery. In this case, while asking for bribe is a crime, attacking journalists for doing their job adds to it. Hence, FF strongly urges the concerned authority to arrest and punish the attackers and ensure a fair reporting atmosphere for the journalists.
-Update- Main accused Indra Rajbanshi has been arrested on December 4 after an arrest order issued by the District Administration office and is kept under detention for further investigation at Jhapa Police Office.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Dec 15, 2020
- Event Description
On 15 December 2020, police personnel arrested woman human rights defender Annapoornafrom her house in Vishakapatnam. While it was not informed at the time of the arrest, her familywas later told, upon repeated inquiring, that she was taken into custody in relation to a FirstInformation Report (FIR) filed against her and several others, on 23 and 24 November, allegingtheir links to Maoist factions. Annapoorna is currently being detained at the Vishakapatnam CentralJail.Annapoorna is a labour rights defender, an advocate and an executive member of thePragatisheela Karmika Samakhya, a workers union in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Over thepast several years, the woman human rights defender has been at the forefront of the humanrights movement in India, advocating for Dalit, women’s and worker’s rights.On 15 December 2020, a team of ten plain clothed individuals entered the residence of labourrights defender Annapoorna and forcibly removed her. The defender was feeding her three year oldchild when the incident occurred. The individuals did not did not disclose their identity, nor did theygive a valid reason for taking her away. During the raid, they also took three mobile phones thatwere in the house. It was only later, when Annapoorna’s brother went to file a complaint at the localpolice station, he was informed that she had been taken by Special Enforcement officials andtherefore no complaint would be registered. Later the same day, two individuals entered thewoman human rights defender’s house for a second time, took the signature of Annapoorna’smother and then proceeded to search the entire place. When prompted and asked to to identifythemselves, they failed to respond and left hastily. The defender’s lawyer and family have beendenied physical access to her since her arrest. Furthermore, the labour rights defender is adiabetic and suffers from thyroid related problems and is in need of regular medication. Her threeyear old had recently recovered from COVID-19 and is still healing from the severity of it’s effects.On 23 and 24 November 2020, two FIRs, naming over eighty persons, were filed atMunchangiputtu and Piduguralla in Andhra Pradesh. The FIRs allegedly report that those it nameshave links to Maoist factions in the country. Annapoorna is the fifth human rights defender to bearrested since the lodging of these FIRs. Several of those mentioned in the FIRs are members ofhuman rights organisations, including women's rights organisations, workers unions andorganisations working against caste discrimination. The charges in the FIRs include the stringentand draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Andhra Pradesh Public Security Act,Arms Act and sedition charges.Front Line Defenders condemns the arrest of woman human rights defender Annapoorna, as itbelieves she is being targeted as a result of herhuman rights work and exercising her right tofreedom of expression.It particularly condemns the use of the UAPA against human rightsdefenders, with the aim of terrorising them and silencing their work.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Intimidation and Threats, Judicial Harassment, Raid, Vilification
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Labour rights defender, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Dec 1, 2020
- Event Description
A violent mob abused, attacked and threatened a female journalist for exposing the existence of illegal cow slaughters in the Pension Mohalla of Hassan district in Karnataka.
On receiving information regarding illegal cow slaughtering mafia in the city, senior Journalist Vijayalakshmi Shibaroor, the Editor-in-chief of Vijaya Times, and her team travelled to Hassan. During her course of special investigation, the female journalist exposed how these illegal slaughterhouses in the city operate with impunity despite cow slaughtering is banned in the district.
The woman journalist, accompanied by NGOs and police officials, visited the four illegal slaughterhouses and five cattle hoarding spots in the city. As they tried to enter one of these illegal abattoirs to rescue cattle, an angry mob, comprised of Burkha-clad women, gathered around the journalist and stopped her from reporting.
The mob not only abused the journalist, but also manhandled and threatened her with dire consequences if she did not leave the place at once.
Here is the footage of the angry mob trying to attack the journalist. One can see how Burkha-clad women attacked the journalist despite the presence of police officials. The helpless police officials were a mute spectator during the entire incident.
The journalist was given death threats if she failed to leave the location then. The illegal cattle smugglers hid other cattle and the NGO managed to save only a few animals.
Reportedly, Hassan Babu and Rehamaan were allegedly operating four illegal slaughterhouses in the area and had taken hostage of around 100 cattle.
Following the incident, an FIR has been registered regarding this case at a local police station.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Media Worker, WHRD
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Non-state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Afghanistan
- Initial Date
- Dec 21, 2020
- Event Description
Afghan authorities must thoroughly investigate the killing of journalist Rahmatullah Nikzad and do everything in their power to ensure that members of the press can work safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
This evening, in the central Afghan city of Ghazni, unidentified gunmen shot Nikzad, a freelance photojournalist who contributed to The Associated Press and Al-Jazeera, three times in the chest while he was leaving his home to go to a local mosque, according to the AP, Al-Jazeera, and other news reports. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to those reports.
Nikzad was also the head of the Ghazni Journalists’ Union, which represented press workers in Ghazni province, those reports said.
“Rahmatullah Nikzad’s crucial work documenting the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan has been brought to a tragic end by this brutal killing,” said Aliya Iftikhar, CPJ’s senior Asia researcher. “The recent spate of killings of journalists in Afghanistan is unacceptable and the Afghan government must redouble efforts to ensure justice and safety for members of the media.”
Nikzad had received threats from different sources over the years, and had notified local and national officials about them, Abdul Mujeeb Khalvatgar, director of the Afghan press freedom organization NAI, told CPJ in a phone interview.
Khalvatgar said that many of the threats came from local Taliban members upset with Nikzad’s work for international outlets, as well as his work with the journalist union.
Khalvatgar and Najib Sharifi, director of the Afghan Journalist Safety Committee, another local press freedom organization, who also spoke to CPJ via phone, both said they believed Nikzad was killed because of his work.
The Taliban, which controls large parts of Ghazni province, denied responsibility for the attack, according to those news reports.
Ghazni Police Chief Khalid Wardak and a spokesperson for the president’s office did not immediately respond to CPJ’s requests for comment sent via messaging app.
In November, reporter Elyas Dayee was killed in a bomb attack in Helmand province, and on December 10, journalist Malalai Maiwand was shot and killed in Nangarhar province, as CPJ documented at the time.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Death, Intimidation and Threats, Killing, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Right to life
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Suspected non-state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Dec 10, 2020
- Event Description
Police manhandled three Kashmiri journalists as they covered election polling in South Kashmir on December 10. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Indian affiliates the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) and the National Union of Journalists India (NUJ-I) condemn the journalists’ arbitrary attack and the ongoing persecution of media workers in the region.
Fayaz Lolu, a stringer with ETV Bharat; Mudasir Qadri, a stringer with News 18 Urdu; and Junaid Rafiq, of V9;were beaten by the senior superintendent of police (SSP), Anantnag Sandip Chowdary, in the Srigugwara area of South Kashmir. The journalists were all covering the District Development Council elections in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on December 10. During the attack, the journalists were thrashed and slapped after interviewing voters who complained that polling was not beginning at the scheduled time. Voting did not commence until 8.30am, an hour and a half later than the organised start time of 7.00am.
The journalists allege their equipment, including mobile phones and microphones, were confiscated. Police escorted them to Srigugwara’s police station where they were detained for almost two hours. During their detention, journalist Rafiq complained of breathlessness and was taken to a nearby hospital where he was placed on oxygen support.
Kashmiri journalists are routinely arbitrarily intimidated, harassed, attacked and faced legal action by authorities and security officials. On September 19, thecyber wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police summoned and abused Auqib Javeed, a Kashmir based journalist, over a news report about police intimidation of social media users. Similarly, on July 31, Qazi Shibli, the editor of news portal The Kashmiriyat, was detained, while Fahad Shah, editor of news portal Kashmir Walla, was summoned on May 20. Srinagar police also filed separate investigations or First Information Reports (FIR) against Kashmiri photojournalist Masrat Zahra and journalist Gowhar Geelani on April 18 and April 21 respectively. Cyber police in Srinagar questioned journalist Peerzada Ashiq on April 19 in relation to the journalist’s news articles.
- Impact of Event
- 3
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Intimidation and Threats, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- Dec 22, 2020
- Event Description
A Cambodian court convicted two rappers and sentenced them to up to a year and a half in prison on Tuesday on charges of incitement over their rhymes about social injustice and loss of sovereign territory.
Yin Srang, a spokesman for the Siem Reap provincial court, told Reuters that rapper Kea Sokun, 23, was found guilty of incitement to commit a felony and sentenced to a year and a half in prison, of which six months were suspended.
Another rapper, Long Putheara, who was 17 when arrested last year, received five months in jail, about six weeks of which was suspended, Yin Srang said.
Their convictions come during a wave of arrests of activists and opponents of the government, which started in July with the detention of a unionist who accused it of ceding land to neighboring Vietnam.
Others held include members of environmental groups, a politician and a Buddhist monk, according to human rights group Licadho, which tracks arrests of dissidents and activists.
Several Western nations have condemned that crackdown as well as treason charges against scores of opposition party supporters, warning that Cambodia's democracy is under threat.
Kea Sokun's father Kea Phal said the conviction of his son was an injustice and the two rap songs - "Khmer Land" and "Sad Race" - had positive meaning.
"The songs were educational and just remind youths to be loving of own nation," Kea Phal told Reuters.
Kea Phal said his son had made no apology during court proceedings because he did nothing wrong.
Lyrics in Khmer Land and Sad Race - which have over 2 million and 700,000 views respectively - say Cambodians are starving and the country is losing territory to its neighbors.
They urge people to stand up against oppression and unite to bring the country greatness.
Cambodia's government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the convictions.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to fair trial, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Artist, Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Cambodia
- Initial Date
- Dec 22, 2020
- Event Description
A Kampong Chhnang radio station owner was convicted for incitement on Tuesday and sentenced to 20 months in prison for reporting on an ongoing land dispute between villagers and the military in the province.
Kampong Chhnang Provincial Court presiding judge Y Thavrak found Sok Oudom, owner of Rithysen radio station, guilty of “incitement to commit a felony” and sentenced him to 20 months in prison and 20 million riels, around $5,000, in punitive damages, according to Un Chanthol, a lawyer for the journalist.
The complaint was filed by Nou Samrith, deputy commander of Kampong Chhnang military operation area, for allegedly inciting villagers against the military. The journalist had broadcast a Facebook Live report on a contentious land dispute in Kampong Chhnang province’s Phnom Aural Wildlife Sanctuary, according to Sok Oudom’s wife, Nuth Sovanthou.
Un Chanthol, his lawyer, said the court should not have used the Criminal Code to jail his client, provisions in the Law on the Press could have been used to issue a correction if there was an error in the reportage.
“I think he is a journalist and his profession allows him to speak. But the court judged the opposite,” he said.
Long Sitha, Kampong Chhang court’s spokesperson, and Nou Samrith, the plaintiff, could not be reached for comment.
Oudom often posted stories on the Rithysen Radio News Station Facebook page about land disputes, clashes between people and police, and provincial court cases.
Nuth Sovanthou, 36, said her husband was among a group of journalists who were covering the land issues, but that Sok Oudom was the only one to face legal repercussions.
“It is very unfair and I don’t have any belief in the Cambodian court system,” said Nou Sovanthou, who is a mother of three.
She too questioned why the court did not use the Press Law to decide if her husband had committed a journalistic error.
“Why should we have the Law on the Press if we don’t use it to protect journalists?” she said. “He didn’t hide or incite anything.”
Article 10 of Press Law states that following a civil complaint if a court finds that the publication was false the court may order the press entity to publish a retraction, pay compensation, or publish a retraction.
Chab Sokhun, a villager from Kampong Chhnang’s Teuk Phos district, said Sok Oudom should not be accused or arrested because of his reporting since he didn’t incite people. He speculated that a mention of the provincial governor in the news report could have caused this entire episode.
“He said something affecting the provincial governor. That is why he was arrested,” said Chab Sokhun, who is involved in the land dispute.
Oudom is the third journalist in recent months to be convicted of incitement. The vaguely defined charge is often used to target detractors and critics of Hun Sen and the Cambodian government, rights groups say.
Last month, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced a Cambodian newspaper publisher who made critical comments about Prime Minister Hun Sen on Facebook to 18 months in prison. In October, Sovann Rithy, who founded social media news outlet TVFB, was convicted of incitement and given a suspended sentence.
Ith Sothoeuth, media director at the Cambodian Center for Independent Media, said the authorities should not jump to file criminal charges and instead should try to use other ways to get corrective measures.
“The [authorities] should understand the role of journalists in doing their work rather than suing them in court,” she said. “It is another threat to journalists.”
Vann Vichar, 35, a freelance journalist, said the excessive use of incitement charges was a concern, because he was never sure which story would be considered incendiary, pointing out there was little chance of getting a fair verdict in these cases.
“[Incitement charges] are a concern for me because as a journalist I do not know which article can be assessed to be incitement,” said Vann Vichar, who has worked as a journalist for some 10 years.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to fair trial
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Related Events
- Cambodia: independent journalist arrested over false charges for covering alleged land-grabbing on protected areas
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Afghanistan
- Initial Date
- Jan 1, 2021
- Event Description
An Afghan journalist and human rights activist was shot and killed Friday by unidentified gunmen in western Afghanistan, the fifth journalist to be killed in the war-ravaged country in the past two months, a provincial spokesman said.
Bismillah Adil Aimaq was on the road near Feroz Koh, the provincial capital of Ghor, returning home to the city after visiting his family in a village nearby, when gunmen opened fire at the vehicle.
According to the provincial governor's spokesman, Arif Abir, others in the car, including Aimaq's brother, were unharmed. Aimaq worked as the head of the local Radio Sada-e-Ghor station and was also a human rights activist in the province.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the shooting. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid insisted the insurgents were in no way connected with the shooting.
Aimaq was the fifth journalist slain in attacks in the past two months. Last week, Rahmatullah Nekzad, who headed the journalists' union in eastern Ghazni province, was killed in an attack by armed men outside his home. Nekzad was well known in the area and had contributed to The Associated Press since 2007. He had previously worked for the Al Jazeera satellite TV channel.
Afghanistan's intelligence department said two perpetrators in that attack were subsequently arrested and it aired video recordings of the two, with their purported confessions to the slaying and to being Taliban members. However, the Taliban denied involvement in the killing, calling it a cowardly act. Large swaths of Ghazni province are under Taliban control.
The Islamic State group, blamed for a series of attacks on a variety of targets in Afghanistan in recent months, said it had killed another Afghan journalist earlier in December. Two assailants opened fire and killed TV anchorwoman Malala Maiwand as she left her house in eastern Nangarhar province. Her driver also was killed.
In November, two journalists were killed in separate bombings.
Rights groups react
The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the relentless attacks on journalists in Afghanistan. The international press freedom group Reporters Without Borders has called the country one of the world's deadliest for journalists.
Earlier this week, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission said the targeted killings of Afghan journalists have negatively impacted reporting in the country and led to self-censorship in the media community. The statement said several female journalists have left their jobs in the provinces because of ongoing threats.
The statement further said most journalists are not able to go out openly in some provinces, and that the government has been negligent when they reported the threats they were facing.
Targeted killings and violence have increased across Afghanistan even as the Taliban and Kabul government continue to hold peace negotiations that began in September. The talks, after some recent procedural progress, have been suspended until early January, and there is speculation the resumption could be further delayed.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Death, Killing, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Right to life
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Unknown
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Unknown
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Dec 16, 2020
- Event Description
Chinese journalist and filmmaker Du Bin has been detained by authorities for allegedly “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” on December 16. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) calls on the Chinese government to release Du immediately and respect Chinese citizens’ right to freedom of expression.
Du, 48, is a Chinese documentary filmmaker and journalist who has previously worked for The New York Times as a freelance photographer. According to Du’s sister Du Jirong, Du was arrested and detained by Beijing police on December 16 over vague allegations he was ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’.
The journalist’s detention may have been linked to his recent writing, including a book on the rule of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin scheduled for publication in 2021. According to South China Morning Post, Du has been under scrutiny from the Chinese Communist Party for writing and editing a number of politically sensitive books, such as a documentation of the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989.
The police have recently summoned Du for questioning on multiple occasions, during which he was asked to delete sensitive contents on his Twitter account, according to Weiquanwang, a website tracking detentions and persecution of activists and dissidents in China, as well as Voice of America. Authorities have also inquired about his book projects, the reports said.
Violations of press freedom and journalists’ rights have increased in China in recent years as authorities continue to expand their control over the media. A number of citizen journalists were detained for their coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in China during 2020, while about a dozen foreign journalists have been expelled, partly due to the ongoing tension between the United States and China.
Last week, the IFJ documented the arrest of Haze Fan, a staff member who has been at the Bloomberg News Beijing bureau since 2017, on suspicion of taking part in activities endangering national security. In August, Cheng Lei, a Chinese-born Australian journalist who had worked in the English service of the state run television CGTN, was detained by the Chinese government for the same accusation leveled against Fan.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Enactment of repressive legislation and policies, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Artist, Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Dec 10, 2020
- Event Description
On the celebration of Human Rights Day on Thursday, December 10, the Philippine National Police (PNP) launched a string of operations which led to the arrest of a journalist and 6 trade unionists over firearms and explosives possession charges that are believed by rights groups to be fabricated.
The operations were led by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) – the police unit tasked to handle high-profile and special cases – which acquired 5 search warrants for 4 different homes in Metro Manila. The search warrants were all signed by Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert, Executive Judge of the Regional Trial Court Branch 89 in Quezon City.
By Thursday afternoon, the following were arrested by the CIDG:
Journalist Lady Ann Salem Unionist Dennise Velasco Unionist Mark Ryan Cruz Unionist Romina Raiselle Astudillo Unionist Jaymie Gregorio Unionist Joel Demate Unionist Rodrigo Esparago
They were all arrested over illegal possession of firearms and explosives – the usual charges against activists.
Salem is a recognized progressive journalist working as an editor of the online news site Manila Today. Her publication was earlier red-tagged by the controversial National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
In a statement, rights group Karapatan condemned the arrests as a "mockery" of the celebration of Human Rights Day. "The fact they were staged today, on the very occasion of International Human Rights Day, sends a loud message: this fascist regime will stop at nothing to bare its fangs against activists, human rights defenders, trade unionists, journalists, and critics as it ramps up its crackdown on dissent in the most brazen of ways," rights group Karapatan said in a statement, condemning the arrests.
- Impact of Event
- 7
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Labour rights defender, Media Worker, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary, Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Afghanistan
- Initial Date
- Dec 10, 2020
- Event Description
Malala Maiwand, 25, a female TV anchor for Enkaas TV and Radio, was killed by gunmen in a targeted attack in Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan on December 10. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Afghanistan affiliate, the Afghan Independent Journalists’ Association (AIJA) condemn the brutal killing and urge authorities to take swift and meaningful action to ensure the safety of journalists in Afghanistan.
The assailants opened fire on Malala Maiwand's car as she left to travel to work in Jalalabad from her home in eastern Nangarhar province. Both Malala and her driver, Mohammad Tahir, were killed. Following the shooting, the assailants fled the scene. The Islamic State (IS) has since claimed responsibility for the shooting, terming her a “pro-regime” journalist. Nangarhar is well known for IS militant activity and the group claimed responsibility for most of the recent attacks on civilians in the area.
Tragically, Malala’s murder happened on the last day of the UN global annual 16 days of activism campaign against violence against women.Known as a women’s rights activist, Malala had previously delivered a speech about the challenges for female journalists in Afghanistan. Her mother, who was also a women’s right activist, was shot dead by unknown assailants five years ago.
The targeted killing is the first since the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) issued a joint statement on December 7 condemning attacks on journalists and religious leaders.
Malala is the fourth Journalist to be killed in Afghanistan in 2020. On November 12, Elias Daei, 33-year-old correspondent for US-funded Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) was killed in an targeted explosion in Helmand province. Former television presenter Yama Siawash was killed in the explosion in Makrorayan-e-Char area of Kabul on November 7. Earlier in the year on May 30, Khurshid TV journalist Zamir Amiri was killed when a roadside bomb exploded targeting the bus carrying Khurshid TV station employees. According to the IFJ South Asia Press Freedom Report, six journalists were killed in Afghanistan in 2019.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Death, Killing, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Right to life
- HRD
- Media Worker, WHRD
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Extremist group
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Dec 8, 2020
- Event Description
Hong Kong police on Tuesday arrested eight activists in connection with a July protest, the latest in a widening crackdown on dissent in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
Local media reported that those arrested included former legislators Wu Chi-wei, Eddie Chu and “Longhair” Leung Kwok-hung, along with Civil Human Rights Front’s (CHRF's) Figo Chan, among others.
The police accused them of “inciting, organizing and taking part in an unauthorized assembly,” referring to the July 1 demonstrations in which thousands defied a protest ban and rallied on the streets against the national security law imposed on the city by Beijing the day before.
Speaking to reporters after he was released on bail, Figo of the pro-democracy CHRF said Hong Kong authorities are oppressing dissidents by filing unreasonable charges.
“I strongly condemn the Hong Kong government for continuously suppressing Hong Kong citizens,” he said.
Since pro-democracy protests erupted in Hong Kong in 2019, the city’s police force has been at the forefront of Beijing’s efforts to eliminate the demonstrations.
According to a survey published by Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute on Tuesday, the police now rank last in public approval among Hong Kong's "disciplinary forces," which include first responders, correctional officers, People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison troops, anti-corruption investigators, and customs and immigration officials.
“The Police Force attains a rating of 40.3 marks, with 34% of the sample giving zero mark and continues to be the lowest among the nine disciplinary forces,” the organization said.
Chan Ka Lok, an associate professor and director of the Comparative Governance and Public Policy Research Center at Hong Kong Baptist University, said the low ratings were due to police abuse of power, and the force’s unwillingness to establish an independent investigation committee to assess police performance in handling the pro-democracy movement since 2019.
Tuesday’s arrests were carried out hours after the United States sanctioned another 14 Chinese officials over China’s move last month to expel four pro-democracy lawmakers from Hong Kong’s legislature. When asked whether there is any correlation, Chan told VOA that “the police's approach is a replay of ‘hostage diplomacy’ in the Cold War era.”
Since Monday, more than a dozen Hong Kong citizens have been arrested for their roles in pro-democracy demonstrations. Chan said these arrests resemble the mass arrests often used by the Chinese police force in the mainland and will turn Hong Kong into a place ruled by fear.
New pro-Beijing party
Meanwhile, a group of mainland-born, pro-establishment executives working in Hong Kong have founded a new political party in a bid to influence local government policies.
The Bauhinia Party was founded in May by three powerful executives: Li Shan, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and director of Credit Suisse Group AG; Huang Qiuzhi, chairman of CMMB Vision Holdings Limited; and Chen Jianwen, chairman of Bonjour Holdings Limited. Li and Wong were born in mainland China and later became Hong Kong residents.
According the Hong Kong Companies Registry, a government department that registers local and foreign companies, the party seeks to “promote a democratic political system best suited to Hong Kong based on the rule of law and civil liberty with the realization of universal suffrage as guaranteed by the Basic Law, so as to safeguard Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability.”
But Hong Kong commentator Stephen Shiu said the creation of the party shows Beijing is no longer satisfied with old pro-establishment forces and hopes a new party representing new immigrants from the mainland can help restrain “extremist forces” in the legislature.
Other analysts say that Beijing wants to put its own people into Hong Kong’s political arena.
They argue that to Beijing, even its closest ally, the New People’s Party, is still seen as a local party rather than one formed by its own people.
- Impact of Event
- 8
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Enactment of repressive legislation and policies, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to liberty and security, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Dec 3, 2020
- Event Description
Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai has been arrested and charged with fraud.
The 73-year-old Lai appeared in a Hong Kong courtroom Thursday along with two other executives of his Next Digital company and was accused of violating terms of the company’s lease of its office space. He was denied bail and his case has been adjourned until next April.
Lai was arrested at his home in August and charged with suspicion of colluding with a foreign country under the city’s new national security law imposed by China. Hours after his arrest, more than 100 police officers raided the headquarters of Lai’s Next Digital company, which publishes the newspaper Apple Daily. The newspaper livestreamed the raid on its website, showing officers roaming the newsroom as they rummaged through reporters’ files, while Lai was led through the newsroom in handcuffs.
He was one of at least 10 people arrested that day, including at least one of Lai’s sons.
Lai is already in legal jeopardy for his pro-democracy activism. He was one of 15 activists arrested earlier this year and hit with seven charges, including organizing and participating in unauthorized assemblies and inciting others to take part in an unauthorized assembly.
Lai’s arrest Thursday comes a day after three young Hong Kong pro-democracy activists -- 24-year-old Joshua Wong, 23-year-old Agnes Chow and 26-year-old Ivan Lam -- received jail sentences between seven and 13 1/2 months in connection with a protest outside the city’s police headquarters in June 2019.
Lai is one of the highest-profile Hong Kongers targeted by the new security law since it went into effect in July. Under the law, anyone in Hong Kong believed to be carrying out terrorism, separatism, subversion of state power or collusion with foreign forces could be tried and face life in prison if convicted.
The new law was imposed by Beijing in response to the massive and often violent pro-democracy demonstrations that engulfed the financial hub in the last half of last year, and is the cornerstone of its increasing grip on the city, which was granted an unusual amount of freedoms when Britain handed over control in 1997.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Dec 28, 2020
- Event Description
A court in Shanghai, China on Monday sentenced former lawyer and citizen journalist Zhang Zhan to four years in prison for her reporting on the coronavirus outbreak, a harsh sentence that legal scholars say is aimed at having a chilling effect on Chinese rights activists.
Zhang, 37, was one of several citizen journalists who covered the initial outbreak in China’s central city of Wuhan. Their coverage painted a far more serious picture of conditions than the government’s official narrative of the spreading infection. Her reports included examples of the harassment of families of victims who were seeking accountability, according to human rights advocates.
Zhang was detained by authorities in May and accused of spreading false information, giving interviews to foreign media, disrupting public order and "maliciously manipulating" the outbreak. She went missing in Wuhan on May 14, according to media reports, and a day later turned up under arrest in Shanghai, more than 640 kilometers away. In court, she was formally charged with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” an accusation frequently used against Chinese activists.
Zhang’s lawyer, Zhang Keke, told VOA that Zhang Zhan has been on a hunger strike for nearly five months. She appeared in court in a wheelchair, all but refusing to speak — apparently using silence as a form of protest.
“The only thing she said is that citizens have the right to freedom of speech, and they have no right to question her,” Zhang Keke said.
According to the defense lawyer, the prosecutor during the trial accused Zhang of publishing so-called "problematic remarks" on China’s social media platforms including Weibo and WeChat. Yet the prosecution failed to provide any posts or videos as evidence.
“She didn’t fabricate any reports, nor has she created any harm to the society,” Zhang Keke said, adding that Zhang will likely appeal the verdict.
A Chinese human rights lawyer who asked to remain anonymous told VOA that the four-year sentence is extremely harsh. “Picking quarrels and provoking trouble usually leads to a fixed-term imprisonment of no more than five years. For first time offense, the sentence is usually one year,” he said, adding that Zhang’s harsh sentence was aimed at instilling fear among citizen journalists and civil rights lawyers.
Rights groups also condemned the ruling. Cédric Alviani, East Asia bureau head of the Paris-based media freedom group Reporters Without Borders, (RSF), called on the international community to increase pressure on the Chinese government until Beijing releases Zhang and other detained press freedom activists in China. “Zhang Zhan was only serving the public interest by reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak, so, she should never have been detained, not to mention, received a four-year prison sentence. This trial is actually a parody of justice,” Alviani told VOA.
The United Nations’ human rights office said in a tweet on Monday that it was troubled by the four-year sentence. “We raised her case with the authorities throughout 2020 as an example of the excessive clampdown on freedom of expression linked to #COVID19 & continue to call for her release,” the office said.
China has been accused of covering up the initial outbreak of the coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease and silencing whistleblowers, including the late Dr. Li Wenliang, and citizen journalists Fang Bing, Chen Qiushi, Li Zehua and Zhang Zhan, for exposing information that authorities did not approve for release. Dr. Li died of COVID-19 after Beijing silenced his attempts to warn the world about the coronavirus.
China has fiercely denied these accusations and said the country has been highly successful in containing the virus, compared to Western countries including the United States.
According to a survey by the Committee to Protect Journalists, China was the world’s leading jailer of journalists in 2020, with at least 47 people behind bars.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- #COVID-19, Right to fair trial, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Blogger/ Social Media Activist, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Related Events
- China: missing lawyer-turned-citizen journalist is detained, formally indicted on vague charges (Update)
- Date added
- Jan 8, 2021
- Country
- Kyrgyzstan
- Initial Date
- Nov 21, 2020
- Event Description
Kyrgyz authorities have increased scrutiny of trade union leaders, including through criminal investigations, and are unduly interfering in legitimate trade union activities in the country, Human Rights Watch said this week. On November 21, the office of the prime minister barred the country’s main trade union body, the Federation of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan, from holding its annual congress, when elections for the position of chairperson were planned. “Kyrgyzstan’s leadership should respect the right of trade unions to associate and organize freely, not meddle in internal trade union activities and processes,” said Syinat Sultanalieva, Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. “They should allow the Federation of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan to organise their congress without any further government interference or delay.”
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Administrative Harassment, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline
- HRD
- Labour rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 7, 2021
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Nov 2, 2020
- Event Description
The communal harmony activist arrested in November for offering namaz at a temple in Mathura was granted bail by Allahabad high court in the case on Friday.
Faisal Khan, the national convenor of Khudai Khidmatgar – an organisation working towards interfaith understanding – was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police from his residence in Delhi on November 2 and photos and videos showing him offering namaz in a temple complex at Mathura had gone viral on social media.
He was arrested on charges under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion), and 505 (public mischief). He was then sent to 14-day judicial custody.
The bail order delivered by Justice Siddharth and dated December 18, read:
“Having considered the material on record, larger mandate of the Article 21 of the Constitution of India and the dictum of Apex Court in the case of Dataram Singh Vs. State of U.P. and another, reported in (2018) 3 SCC 22 and without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, let the applicant involved in the aforesaid crime be released on bail…”
Khan’s counsel had held in court, “Only on the basis of photographs which went viral the applicant cannot be said to have intention to disturb the communal harmony of the society. He did not entered into the sanctum sanctorum of the temple rather he performed Namaz outside of the temple with the permission of the priest of the temple as clear from the viral photographs. The allegation of receiving foreign funds is without basis.” (sic)
Khan had visited the temple of Nand Baba in Mathura in time for his afternoon prayers on November 19. He was accompanied by his associates, Chand Mohammad, Nilesh Gupta and Sagar Ratna. In a statement, the Khudai Khidmatgar said local people at the temple had told Khan he could say his namaz at the premises rather than going elsewhere.
Later, a priest at the temple, Kanha Goswami filed a complaint saying that Khan’s gesture had “offended” Hindu sentiments. The complaint also called for an inquiry into the episode and into whether the move had involved “foreign funding” by a Muslim organisation.
A prominent Gandhian activist, Khan was on a five-day pilgrimage between October 24 and October 29 to advocate communal harmony, his organisation had said in a statement. The temple prayers were a part of an attempt to send a message of peaceful coexistence between religions.
Khan’s advocate filed two applications. One was an anticipatory bail application which was not listed. Friday saw the first hearing of his case.
In judicial custody, Khan had tested positive for COVID-19 and had been admitted to KD Medical College hospital in Mathura. This was a cause of concern for his family. His sister, Falak, says “It has been a struggle without him.”
The bail order has relieved the family which had been under considerable anxiety. “We are so thankful to the system. He is a modern Gandhi, and his past work speaks for his record. We will celebrate his return like Diwali,” Falak told The Wire.
Bail was granted to him on the condition that Khan will not use social media for any such purposes till the conclusion of trial. His case was argued by senior advocate Colin Gonsalves.
Khudai Khidmatgar was founded by freedom fighter Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan – popularly known as the Frontier Gandhi.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- #COVID-19, Offline, Right to health, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Freedom of religion/belief activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 7, 2021
- Country
- Viet Nam
- Initial Date
- Dec 17, 2020
- Event Description
Authorities in Vietnam arrested a journalist Thursday for social media posts criticizing tollbooths set up under a controversial infrastructure funding program, local media reported.
Truong Chau Huu Danh, a contributor to a popular Facebook page Bao Sach (Clean Newspaper), that discusses Vietnamese social issues, had posted criticism of build-operate-transfer (BOT) highways that Vietnam had adopted in recent years, sparking rare motorist protests over toll collection.
Truong has been active as a journalist for several Vietnamese newspapers, reporting on protests against what activists say is “illegal toll collection” and the “illogical construction of tollbooths” across the country.
He was detained by police in Can Tho, a province-level city in the country’s deep south, on charges of “abusing democratic rights to infringe upon the benefits of other individuals and/or organizations,” under Article 331, the Vietnam 2015 Penal Code.
They transferred Truong to authorities in his hometown in nearby Long An province. If convicted, he could serve up to three years in prison.
The procuracy in Can Tho approved detention of up to three months for investigation.
In his last status update on his Facebook fan page, Truong posted photos of Ho Chi Minh City’s deputy party chief Tat Thanh Cang and former transport minister Dinh La Thang, who were both recently arrested and prosecuted.
The photos had been altered to show them in prison uniforms, and Truong had titled the post “reunion.”
Truong is one of the founders of the Bao Sach Facebook page, which currently has more than 100,000 likes. The page has gained notoriety for raising concerns over a death sentence handed to Ho Duy Hai, who was arrested in March 2008 and convicted nine months later of plundering property and murdering two female postal employees in Long An Province.
Ho’s case has been marred by accusations of procedural errors, including Ho’s contention that he was made to confess while in pretrial detention.
CPJ denial
Also on Thursday, Vietnam rejected a report by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) about detained journalists worldwide.
The report, released Tuesday, said that Hanoi has arrested at least 15 journalists in 2020, not including Truong.
At a press briefing, Le Thi Thu Hang, spokeswoman for Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the report was full of stereotypes about the Vietnamese situation.
“In Viet Nam, just like in other rules-based government across the world, every citizen is equal in front of the law and anyone who commits legal violations will have to be handled in accordance with judiciary procedures as codified in the existing laws,” she said.
Vietnam, with a population of 92 million people, has been consistently rated “not free” in the areas of internet and press freedom by Freedom House, a U.S.-based watchdog group.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Vietnam 175 out of 180 in its 2020 World Press Freedom Index. About 25 journalists and bloggers are being held in Vietnam’s jails, “where mistreatment is common,” the Paris-based watchdog group said.
Vietnam’s already low tolerance of dissent deteriorated sharply this year with a spate of arrests of independent journalists, publishers, and Facebook personalities as authorities continued to stifle critics in the run-up to the ruling Communist Party congress in January.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Enactment of repressive legislation and policies, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 7, 2021
- Country
- Viet Nam
- Initial Date
- Dec 15, 2020
- Event Description
On December 15, the People’s Court of Vietnam’s central province of Nghe An convicted try local human rights defender and democracy fighter Tran Duc Thach on allegation of subversion under Article 109 of the Criminal Code, sentencing him to 12 years in prison and three years of probation.
The first-instance hearing lasted only three hours, said Hanoi-based lawyer Ha Huy Son, adding Mr. Thach’s wife and younger brother were permitted to be in the courtroom to obseve the trial. It is likely no foreign diplomats have been present in the hearing.
The 68-year-old activist did not admit his wrongdoing but declared to appeal the court’s verdict, saying he just exercized his basic rights to protect the country amid China’s increasing aggressiveness in the East Sea (South China Sea) and voice against human rights abuse.
He has not fully recovered from high blood pressure and other diseases, said attorney Son who visited him one day prior to his trial in police custody. His trial was initially scheduled on November 30 but it was cancelled due to his poor health.
Mr. Thach, born in 1952, is a former prisoner of conscience from the central province of Nghe An, the home of late communist leader Ho Chi Minh. Thach is a founding member of the unregistered group Brotherhood for Democracy (BFD).
On April 23, security forces arrested Mr. Thach on allegation of conducting “Activities against the people’s government,” with the highest punishment of 20 years in prison or even death penalty. Police conducted searching for his house, confiscating a laptop, cell phones, a camera as well as VND9 million ($380) and $400, according to his family.
The state-controlled media reported that Mr. Thach has been continuously posting and sharing numerous articles on Facebook with content to distort the regime’s policies with the aim to trigger social disorders amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
He was arrested for the first time in 2009 and sentenced to three years in jail and three years of probation on a charge of “conducting anti-state propaganda” under Article 88 of the Penal Code, Article 117 under the current Penal Code, for claiming Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracels) and Truong Sa (Spratlys), the two archipelagos also claimed by China, and demanding human rights improvement in the communist nation. Particularly, Thach, together with activists Vu Van Hung and Nguyen Xuan Nghia hang out a banner which states “Hoang Sa and Truong Sa belong to Vietnam” at Mai Dich Bridge in the capital city of Hanoi. His fellows were also jailed with lengthy sentences.
Thach was an officer of the communist army participating in the Vietnam War. After leaving the communist army in 1975, Thach wrote a memoir named “Obsessive mass grave” to describe how communist soldiers assaulted innocent civil people while invading South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. In 1976, he self-immolated to protest unfair policies of authorities in Nghe An province and Dien Chau district. Due to the act, his face was deformed.
Vietnam’s communist regime has intensified its crackdown on local dissent from late 2015 when the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam began to prepare for its 12th National Congress. More than 100 activists were arrested and charged with controversial allegations in the National Security provisions of the Penal Code 1999 or the Criminal Code 2015, many of them were sentenced to lengthy imprisonments of between five and 20 years.
BFD is the group that suffered the most from the ongoing persecution campaign of the communist regime. Its nine key members were sentenced to between seven and 15 years in prison, and only two of them, human rights attorney Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thu Ha were freed but forced to live in exile in Germany. Thach’s latest arrest is related to BFD. In 2017, when Vietnam’s police arrested six key members of the group, he was summoned to a police station and interrogated for days about his activities in the organization.
After Thach’s arrest, Vietnam’s communist regime has detained a number of activists and bloggers and charged them with controversial crimes in the National Security provisions of the Criminal Code. The detainees included Vice President of the unregistered professional group Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam (IJAVN) Nguyen Tuong Thuy and its young editor Le Huu Minh Tuan, well-known blogger Pham Chi Thanh (aka Pham Thanh), and prominent human rights defender and political blogger Pham Doan Trang, who was taken into custody on the day Vietnam and the US conducted the 24th Annual Human Rights Dialogue. All of them were charged with “conducting anti-state propaganda” for their posts critical to the communist regime.
Mr. Thach is likely not the last activist being convicted and sentenced this year. Vietnam’s communist regime has a plan to try two Facebookers Huynh Anh Khoa and Nguyen Dang Thuong on the charge of “abusing democratic freedom” under Article 331 of the country’s Criminal Code. Mr. Khoa and Mr. Thuong were arrested by security forces in Ho Chi Minh City on June 13 this year in relation to a group on Facebook in which its members held discussions about Vietnam’s socio-economic issues. The two guys are admins of a Facebook group named Bàn luận Kinh tế-Chính trị (Economic-Political Discussion) with 46,000 followers. However, the group was closed immediately after the arrests of its two admins.
According to well-known blogger Le Nguyen Huong Tra who is lives in Germany, Khoa and Thuong are admins of a Facebook group named Bàn luận Kinh tế-Chính trị (Economic-Political Discussion) with 46,000 followers. However, the group was closed immediately after the arrests of its two admins. Their trial was planned on December 7 but suspended due to health issue of one of the two defendants.
As the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam prepares its 13th National Congress scheduled for January 2021, the regime continues its crackdown on local dissent and tightens control on social media, especially Facebook, the largest social network in Vietnam with around 60 million accounts.
So far this year, Vietnam has convicted 17 activists of subversion, “conducting anti-state propaganda” and “abusing democratic freedom” or “causing public disorders,” sentencing them to a total 90 years and three months in prison and 29 years of probation.
The regime is holding 31 other activists in pre-trial detention, most of them have been kept incommunicado since their arrest. Among them are prominent human rights defender and political blogger Pham Doan Trang, President of the professional group Independent Journalist Association of Vietnam (IJAVN) Pham Chi Dung and his deputy Nguyen Tuong Thuy.
Vietnam is the biggest prison for prisoners of conscience in Southeast Asia. Amnesty International said the number of prisoners of conscience in Vietnam is 170 while according to Defend the Defenders’ latest statistic, the number is 262 as of December 15.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Denial Fair Trial
- Rights Concerned
- Right to fair trial
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 7, 2021
- Country
- Viet Nam
- Initial Date
- Dec 21, 2020
- Event Description
On December 21, the People’s Court of District 8 in Ho Chi Minh City found three local Facebookers named Nguyen Dang Thuong, Huynh Anh Khoa, and Tran Trong Khai guilty of “abusing democratic freedom” under Article 331 of the Criminal Code for administrating an open Facebook group discussing Vietnam’s socio-economic issues.
The jugde concluded that the trio have posted a number of statuses in the group with the content distorting the communist regime and defaming late President Ho Chi Minh and incumbent leaders General Secretary cum State President Nguyen Phu Trong and Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan of the country’s highest legislative body National Assembly. The court decided to sentence Mr. Thuong to 18 months in prison, Mr. Khoa- 15 months and Mr. Khai- one year.
The three Facebookers were without legal assistance during their pre-trial detention and the hearing. It is likely that they were forced by the police to give up legal consultation provided by the lawyers who were hired by their families, said Mrs. Pham Bao Ngoc, the wife of Mr. Khoa.
Mrs. Ngoc also told Defend the Defenders that she and other relatives of the three Facebookers were not permitted to enter the court areas. After fierce argument, police allowed them to enter but stay in the corridor of the courtroom which was filled with policemen and local officials. During the break and after the end of the trial, police prevented the relatives from having physical contacts with the trio, using Covid-19 as an excuse, Ngoc complained.
Along with imprisoning the trio, the judge also decided to confiscate their three computers and two cell phones with which they used to post “anti-state” articles.
Mr. Khoa and Mr. Thuong were arrested by security forces in HCM City on June 13 this year in relation to a group on Facebook in which its members held discussions about Vietnam’s socio-economic issues. It was unclear about the detention of Mr. Khai.
Khoa and Thuong are said to be admins of a Facebook group named Bàn luận Kinh tế-Chính trị (Economic-Political Discussion) with 46,000 followers. However, the group was closed immediately after the arrests of its two admins.
As the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam prepares its 13th National Congress scheduled for January 2021, the regime continues its crackdown on local dissent and tightens control on social media, especially Facebook, the largest social network in Vietnam with around 60 million accounts.
In 2020, Vietnam arrested 27 independent journalists and Facebookers for their online activities and charged them with “abusing democratic freedom,” “conducting anti-state propaganda” and subversion. The communist regime has sentenced ten activists to between nine months and 12 years in prison. In addition, the regime has imposed administrative fines up to VND15 million ($680) on hundreds of Facebookers nationwide for their online posts unfavorable for the regime after requesting them to delete their posts.
In Vietnam, the ruling communist party strictly controls the official media and social networks including Facebook become the main platform for local residents to express their opinions. However, the online crackdown has become more and more fierce.
On December 14, the Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) issued a report saying Vietnam is among the first countries in the world holding the largest number of journalists and Facebooker, together with China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria. Particularly, Vietnam holds seven journalists and 21 Facebookers behind the bar, and is listed at the 175th place among 180 countries in the RSF’s 2020 World Press Freedom Index.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has also listed Vietnam among the global biggest prisons for journalists with 15 journalists being imprisoned.
Vietnam is also the biggest jail for prisoners of conscience in Southeast Asia. According to Defend the Defenders’ latest statistics, Vietnam is holding 252 prisoners of conscience as of December 21, 2020.
- Impact of Event
- 3
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Denial Fair Trial, Enactment of repressive legislation and policies, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to fair trial, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Blogger/ Social Media Activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 7, 2021
- Country
- Viet Nam
- Initial Date
- Jan 5, 2021
- Event Description
On January 5, 2021, the People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City sentenced 3 members of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam (IJAVN) to a total of 37 years in prison and nine years of probation on charges of “making, storing, spreading information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the State of Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under Article 117 of the Criminal Code.
Pham Chi Dung, the IJAVN’s President, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and three years of probation; both Vice President Nguyen Tuong Thuy and another young member, Le Huu Minh Tuan, received 11 years in prison and three years of probation each.
This unjust trial does not comply with international standards for fair trials. The defendants were kept incommunicado for many months from their arrest until December 2020 when they were allowed to see their lawyers for the first time. During their less than 6 hours court trial, the judges did not listen to the lawyers’ arguments and the defendants’ testimonies.
The IJAVN is a civil society organization of independent journalists fighting for press freedom in Vietnam. Since its founding in 2014, its members and collaborators have published thousands of articles about the situation of Vietnam, frankly criticizing the communist regime and officials for their blatant violations of their citizens’ rights and serious socio-economic mismanagement.
This is exactly the reason that the Vietnamese communist authorities want to annihilate the IJAVN and suppress its members for many years, and the arrest and conviction of the three leaders reached the highest point.
Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, and Le Huu Minh Tuan were sentenced to extremely heavy sentences for exercising their right to freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of association. Those are the basic rights stated in the Vietnamese Constitution and international human rights conventions that the Vietnamese communist government has signed and committed to honor.
Vietnam Human Rights Network, Defend the Defenders, and Human Rights Relief Foundation believe that Pham Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, and Le Huu Minh Tuan have not violated any Vietnamese law, and that their arrests, detentions and convictions are completely unjustified.
Therefore, we ask the communist government of Vietnam
To annul the verdicts, eliminate all accusations, and release immediately and unconditionally the three journalists; To immediately stop the suppression of the IJAVN and other independent journalists and Facebookers, guarantee fundamental freedoms, in particular the rights to freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of the press and access to information; To repeal Article 117 of the National Security provision of the Criminal Code which is used to suppress peaceful dissidents.
We call on independent civil society organizations and individuals as well as the international community to speak up for the freedom of the three recently convicted independent journalists.
End of the press release
- Impact of Event
- 3
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of association, Media freedom, Online, Right to fair trial
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Related Events
- Vietnam: three independent journalists in detention are indicted and face long-term imprisonment
- Date added
- Jan 7, 2021
- Country
- Viet Nam
- Initial Date
- Dec 22, 2020
- Event Description
On December 22, authorities in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho arrested female activist Le Thi Binh and charged her with “abusing democratic freedom” under Article 331 of the Criminal Code. They accuse her of posting anti-state statuses on her Facebook page.
According to her family, police and plainclothes agents kidnapped her when she went out. They took her back to her private residence where they conducted a house search without presence of her family.
The state-controlled media reported that the local police confiscated a large amount of evidence with the anti-state content without unvealing the details of what they robbed. Her family told Defend the Defenders that it received no documentation from the local authorities about her arrest, including the arrest order approved by the local Procuracy.
Ms. Binh, born in 1976, is a younger sister of former prisoner of conscience Le Minh The, who was arrested in October 2018 on the same allegation. Both are members of the unregistered group Hiến Pháp (Constitution) which aims to raise citizens’ rights by disseminating the country’s Constitution 2013. He was later sentenced to two years in prison, and completed his imprisonment in July this year.
Like her older brother and other members of Hiến Pháp group, Binh actively participated in the mass demonstration of tens of thousands of Vietnamese in Ho Chi Minh City and other locality on June 10, 2018 to protest the two bills on Special Economic Zones and Cyber Security.
After that, she has been under close surveillance of the Can Tho’s security forces, especially after the arrests of her brother and other members of Hiến Pháp in September-October, 2018. One of eight detained members of the group has warned about her arrest as police interrogators often asked them about Ms. Binh during their questioning.
However, Binh continues to post and share numerous articles about the country’s issues such as systemic corruption, widespread human rights abuse, and China’s violations of the country’s sovereignty in the East Sea (South China Sea).
She is likely to be held incommunicado during the pre-trial detention, the common practice applied by the communist regime in political cases. She faces imprisonment up to seven years in prison if she is convicted.
With Binh’s detention, the number of prisoners of conscience rose to 253, according to Defend the Defenders’ latest statistics.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Enactment of repressive legislation and policies, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 7, 2021
- Country
- Bangladesh
- Initial Date
- Dec 31, 2020
- Event Description
Fifty-one academics, human rights activists and lawyers have issued a statement demanding the release of Rohingya photographer Abul Kalam, who they claim landed in jail on Thursday for taking photos of buses departing Kutupalong for Bhasan Char.
Photographer Abul Kalam was brought to the Senior Judicial Magistrate Court in Ukhiya on Thursday with charges of impeding officers from discharging their duties during an incident that happened over seven months ago, according to court documents obtained by The Daily Star.
Organisers said Kalam was sent to Cox's Bazar Jail by a magistrate on Thursday.
However, Public Prosecutor Faridul Alam of Cox's Bazar said he was not aware of any such development.
The Daily Star has not been able to independently verify whether Kalam was sent to jail.
The case in which Kalam has been accused was filed by Kutupalong Camp-in-charge Khalilur Rahman on June 1 last year, according to the first information report.
It said the accused assaulted officials and obstructed public servants from discharging their duties.
Khalilur Rahman's phone was found switched off last night.
The statement issued yesterday read, "On the morning of December 28, 2020, Abul Kalam, an award-winning photographer and Rohingya refugee, set out to take photographs of buses departing the Kutupalong camps for Bhasan Char. He was apprehended and then taken to the camp-in-charge in Camp 2W, Block D5 of Kutupalong, and subsequently, to the camp-in-charge of Kutupalong Registered Camp."
The signatories to the statement include Dr C R Abrar, eminent rights activist; renowned photographer Shahidul Alam; Sara Hossain, honorary executive director, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust; Dr Ambia Perveen, chair, European Rohingya Council; Professor Dina M Siddiqi, Faculty of Liberal Studies, New York University; Shireen Huq, coordinator, Standing with Rohingya Women, and founding member of Naripokkho; Ai Weiwei, Chinese contemporary artist and activist; and Bianca Jagger, a Council of Europe goodwill ambassador.
"Photography is not a crime. Abul Kalam was taking photographs of buses on their way to Bhasan Char. He was doing so in a public place, albeit in a refugee camp. The relocation to Bhasan Char is a widely publicised programme of the Bangladesh government. It is by no means a secret and has been extensively covered in the media," said the statement.
The statement said Abul Kalam has been a refugee in Bangladesh for 28 years.
"Abul Kalam is 35 years old. He originally came from Borgozbil, Maungdaw, Myanmar. He is a prolific photographer and has documented refugee life in recent years. His images have appeared in many publications, and he recently won two prizes in the Rohingya Photography Competition," said the statement.
"We call upon the authorities to release Abul Kalam unconditionally and without further delay," the statement said.
The case in which he was accused was filed against 10 named and 30-40 unnamed Rohingya refugees.
The forwarding letter presented to the court shows Kalam is one of those unnamed accused.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Artist
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 7, 2021
- Country
- Pakistan
- Initial Date
- Jan 3, 2021
- Event Description
Another prominent ethnic Pashtun rights activist, Said Alam Mahsud, has been arrested in Pakistan on charges of making “anti-state” and “anti-military” comments.
Sanna Ejaz, a leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), told RFE/RL that Mahsud appeared before a court in Peshawar on January 4 where a judge ordered him remanded in custody for four days.
Mahsud was arrested at his home in the northwestern city late on January 3 after he attended a protest earlier in the day demanding the release of other PTM leaders and activists from custody.
In a video widely circulated on Facebook and Twitter, Mahsud is seen greeting the policemen in Pashto and then asking, “Am I being arrested?” After a policeman says “yes,” he responds “no problem” in English and then accompanies them.
PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen called Mahsud’s arrest an “extremely oppressive” act while Mohsin Dawar, a lawmaker and PTM leader, denounced what he called an “undeclared crackdown" against the group.
PTM activists staged demonstrations on January 3 in several cities and towns in Pakistan, demanding the release of recently arrested leaders and members of the PTM, which has campaigned since 2018 for the civil rights of Pakistan’s estimated 35 million ethnic Pashtuns.
Ali Wazir, a lawmaker and PTM leader, has been arrested on sedition charges over accusations he made anti-state comments during an unsanctioned rally in Karachi on December 6.
His arrest triggered mass protests in dozens of cities and towns across Pakistan on December 18. After the protests, two other PTM members were arrested in Karachi.
The PTM has attracted tens of thousands of people to public rallies in recent years to denounce the powerful Pakistani Army's heavy-handed tactics in its fight against the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups in the country's northwest.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Minority rights defender, Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Government, Judiciary, Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Jan 6, 2021
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Dec 7, 2020
- Event Description
Members of the We Volunteer network arrived at Uruphong Intersection at about 9.30pm and started to remove the barricades, which were reportedly laid out by the authorities on Nov. 25 to deter demonstrations in the area.
Their cleanup operation was only announced just an hour before the gathering. Piyarat said several pedestrians were already injured by the razor wires.
A company of police officers soon arrived and surrounded the volunteers. A brief confrontation ensued, and police eventually arrested 19 people at the scene. They were taken to Phayathai Police Station where they were charged with illegal assembly and resisting arrests.
Police spokesman Kissana Phathanacharoen said the arrests were made after the protesters refused to comply with instructions from the law enforcement.
“They have no power to uninstall police’s equipment,” Col. Kissana said. “We had asked them to disperse, but they didn’t follow orders.”
Piyarat said police told him they did not try to remove the razor wires by themselves because the equipment actually belonged to the army.
He said his group will continue to remove other crowd control obstacles abandoned by the authorities across Bangkok; the activist did not disclose details about their next target.
“We will notify local police next time,” Piyarat said.
- Impact of Event
- 19
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Dec 15, 2020
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Dec 10, 2020
- Event Description
Representatives from the 24 June Democracy group went to the United Nations (UN) office in Bangkok today (10 December) to petition the UN Human Rights Council to pressure the Thai government to repeal Section 112, Thailand’s lèse majesté law.
The petition states that the recent pro-democracy protests have been met with state persecution and crackdowns, despite peaceful protest being a right under the Thai constitution and international human rights principles. Many protesters are facing legal charges, with activists now facing charges under Section 112, which has not been used for the past two years.
During the past two weeks, since student activist Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak received a summons for a charge under Section 112 on 24 November, at least 23 people involved with recent protests have been charged with royal defamation.
The petition notes that Section 112 “does not have a clear extent of enforcement,” and that those who have been charged under this law have often been denied bail, which is a restriction of rights and liberties, as well as of freedom of expression in relation to the monarchy.
The petition calls on the UN Human Rights Council to pressure the Thai government to cease persecution against people participating in the pro-democracy protests and to repeal Section 112.
Sinphat Khaiyanan, one of the representatives, said that the group’s aim was to call for the UN or the UNHRC to pressure the Thai government about the legal charges filed against protest leaders, students and members of the public, and to repeal Section 112, which goes against human rights principles, as criticism of various political institutions should be permitted according to the principles of rights and freedoms.
Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, another representative, said that Section 112 is an outdated law which restricts people’s rights and freedom of expression, which is one of the fundamental freedoms, and has been used against the political opposition. He said that since the head of state receives income from taxpayers and is in this position according to the constitution, criticism of the head of state should be permitted in order to resolve the public’s questions about the monarchy. If Section 112 is repealed, the head of state will be able to come to an understanding with the people, which would be beneficial to the monarchy itself and to Thai politics.
Somyot said that the group would be following the process after the petition is submitted, and that there will be rallies both locally and internationally. He said that the group will send letters to international civil society organizations, such as to human rights and labour rights organizations, to call for a show of solidarity, and that the group is in the process of organizing a rally in Switzerland during a UN meeting in May 2021.
Somyot said that he is not concerned about attacks on the monarchy if Section 112 is repealed, as there is already a defamation law, which can be used in case of slander. He said that repealing Section 112 would instead lessen concerns, as the Bureau of the Royal Household would then be able to explain and correct false information.
He said that using Section 112 against protesters will lead to confrontation between the monarchy and the people. He asked whether the judicial process, where the courts represent the monarch as judgements are made in his name, will be just, because if people are denied bail or if an arrest warrant is immediately issued, it will be a reflection of injustice, which would not be beneficial to the government and the monarchy.
While representatives of the group went in to submit their petition, a small stage was set up in front on the UN building with protesters taking turn giving speeches.
A monk named Jirasupho gave a speech saying that Section 112 is similar to Section 116 in that, if whatever is said goes against the values of the institutions concerned, whether it is true or not, the action will be deemed illegal, but Section 112 is worse for many reasons, such as the broad interpretation of the law, or how to interpret the terms ‘threaten’ or ‘insult.’ He asks whether speaking about legal cases involving the monarchy without intending for it to be a threat would be wrong, such as Anon Nampa’s raising questions about the death of King Anada Mahidol, or speaking about the incidents on 14 October 1973 or 6 October 1976. He also asks whether Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul’s address to King Vajiralongkorn (at the rally on 19 September) can be interpreted as a threat.
He said that in other countries, cases like the Holocaust have been investigated until the world understands how bad it is and until people understand the Nazi swastika, but in Thailand, we don’t even know who ordered people to be murdered because these laws keep people silent.
Jirasupho said that he wanted to speak out because one of his university lowerclassmen, Ravisara Eksgool, received a summons for reading a statement during the rally in front of the German Embassy. Many people have told him that he is a monk and therefore should not come out to show support for her, but he thinks that if religion is a representation of good, if religion wants to teach people kindness, it should be possible to support one’s friend. He believes that religion should be against unjust laws. Jirasupho said that he is doing this for his friend and for society, and that if he doesn’t do it today, when would be the time. He said that time is up for a law which is in favour of only one group of people, and he would like people to talk about Ravisara in addition to the protest leaders who have been charged with royal defamation.
Following his speech, while he was in the middle of a media interview, two plainclothes police officers came up to Jirasupho and asked for the name of his temple and other personal information. Jirasupho said that people around him then told him that this is intimidation, and many supported him. He said that, personally, he said nothing wrong. He was only speaking according to the information he has and that he is only criticising the law.
Jirasupho said that he is worried, but he will continue to speak out, but while he is still ordained, he would only be joining activities during the next few days, as the issue of Section 112 is urgent and a violation of people’s rights and freedom, and even his friend has been charged with it.
During the rally, plainclothes officers also tried to ask for information about Jirasupho from one of Prachatai’s reporters at the scene, but the reporter refused to give them any information.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Dec 15, 2020
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Dec 11, 2020
- Event Description
The Phrae Democracy Lovers network has reported that police got from the Vice Principal of Nareerat School the names of students involved in a display of banners and card images promoting democracy and the abolition of the lèse majesté law at the school’s sports day on 11 December.
The regular annual sports day at Nareerat School, Phrae Province, went viral on the internet as students were seen raising banners with messages like “Nation, liberty, people” or “Democracy is being exploited by a disgusting person”.
There is also footage of a card image, where students in the stand, each holding a different card, together turned a picture or message into 112, referring to the Section 112 of the Criminal Code which prohibits people from defaming or expressing hostility to the king, queen, heir-apparent and regent.
The stand also chanted “Very good. Very good. Very brave. Very brave. Thank you,” copying King Vajiralongkorn’s words to one of his supporters at a public walkabout on 23 October.
The network told Prachatai that after the incident went viral, Phrae provincial police asked the Vice Principal for information on the students involved. The Vice Principal gave them the names and phone numbers.
According to the network, 2 students alleged of being involved in the rally were called from an unknown phone number.
On 12 December, at a meeting between teachers and students, those involved in the rally were separated out to attend another meeting in the afternoon.
On 11 December evening, Bad Students, a student activist group, tweeted to ask the public to watch what was happening at Nareerat School.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Youth
- Perpetrator-State
- Suspected state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Dec 15, 2020
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Nov 25, 2020
- Event Description
Police have issued summonses for 12 core members of the Khana Ratsadon anti-establishment group, to acknowledge charges of lèse majesté, among others, for their leading roles in protests demanding sweeping reform of the Thai Monarchy.
The police’s decision to invoke the infamous Section 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code comes ahead of a mass protest today, organized by the Khana Ratsadon group and others, expected to take place at the Crown Property Bureau.
The 12 Khana Ratsadon leaders facing charges are:
Parit “Penguin” Chivarak – eight cases pending Panasaya “Rung” Sitthijirawattanakul – six cases pending Panupong Jardnok or Mike Rayong – four cases pending Anon Nampa – four cases pending Passaravalee “Mind” Thanakitvibulphol – three cases pending Chanin Wongsri – two cases pending Chuthatip Sirikhan – one case pending Tadthep Ruangprapaikitseri – one case pending Atthaphol Buapat – one case pending Chukiat Saengwong – one case pending Sombat Thongyoi – one case pending Piyarat Chongthep – one case pending
It is reported that police in several districts have sought arrest warrants, but the courts have rejected their requests on the grounds that these protest leaders are public figures and are of fixed abode. The court recommended that the police issue summonses instead.
Parit said, in his Facebook post, that he received the summons, on two charges, at his residence last night, namely lèse majesté and violation of the Computer Crime Act, adding that he is not worried about the charges “because the ceiling has already been broken.”
He also posted a notification of change of venue for today’s protest muster point, from the Democracy Monument to the head office of the Siam Commercial Bank.
In her Facebook post today, Panasaya said police came to find her last night at her university. She told the police to show her the summons and not to come looking for her at night.
The SCB head office is closed today, ahead of the arrival of protesters, as police erect barriers to prevent protesters from getting near the bank on Ratchayothin Road. Additional CCTV cameras were also installed around the bank.
Throughout last night, authorities placed cement and plastic barriers on roads around the Crown Property Bureau. Thousands of police have been deployed around the bureau to maintain law and order.
- Impact of Event
- 11
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Dec 7, 2020
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Dec 3, 2020
- Event Description
The Constitutional Court has sought prosecution against student protest leader Parit "Penguin" Chiwarak on a charge of contempt of court over statements he made on Facebook following the court's ruling on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's army house residency this week.
All nine Constitutional Court judges on Wednesday found Gen Prayut not guilty of occupying the army residence after he retired from the armed forces.
The issue was brought to the court by the opposition. They had argued that Gen Prayut committed "conflict of interest" for staying in the residence as premier.
Pol Cpl Montri Daengsri, director of the Constitutional Court's litigation office, filed the charge against Mr Parit with the Technology Crime Suppression Division on Thursday over the Facebook posts.
He said the messages Mr Parit posted were defamatory to the court and had tarnished its reputation.
The house is located at the 1st Infantry Regiment residential area on Phahon Yothin Road in Bangkok.
Pol Cpl Montri said Mr Parit also gave an offensive speech at the anti-government rally at the Lat Phrao intersection after the ruling was delivered by the court.
Mr Parit's speech at the rally was also defamatory in nature and violated the Criminal Code, according to the director.
Police investigators were looking to see what charges would be pressed against Mr Parit, Pol Cpl Montri said.
Also, the litigation office was looking into a stage play allegedly poking fun at the court over its ruling at the rally site.
Pol Maj Gen Piya Tawichai, deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said police were reviewing an allegation of verbal abuse aimed at the court judges by protesters at the rally. The protesters burned the judges' effigies.
Leading protest figure Arnon Nampa has urged all protesters to share responsibility of whatever problems that may arise as a result of recent anti-government demonstrations.
The court in its ruling said Gen Prayut did not violate the constitution by occupying the army house because he did not receive any special benefits.
In Thailand, junior army personnel occupy Ban Sawadikarn, or welfare houses, while senior officers occupy Ban Rubrong, or reception houses.
Tenants of welfare houses are required to pay for their utility bills while those who live in reception houses -- which include retirees -- do not pay for household expenses. The tab is picked up by the army.
The army said Gen Prayut occupies a reception house, so does not have to pay utility bills.
The issue over the premier's army house is not yet over with an MP on Thursday seeking to pursue the matter in parliament.
Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, a former member of the dissolved Thai Raksa Chart Party, on Thursday filed a petition against Gen Prayut with the House standing committee on corruption.
Mr Ruangkrai is asking the committee to probe the premier to see if he has benefited from staying in the house.
He said Gen Prayut should be deemed as a beneficiary of the tenancy because the premier does not pay his own utility bills.
In other news, activists on Thursday rallied at the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok to mark the sixth month anniversary of the disappearance of government critic Wanchalearm Satsaksit who was living in exile in Phnom Penh earlier this year.
They submitted a list of 14,157 people who want Cambodian authorities to ensure a transparent investigation into the matter.
Clad in similar Hawaiian shirts often worn by Mr Wanchalearm, they urged people to use #6MonthsOnWeShallNotForget on social media to discuss the issue further.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, Student
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Dec 7, 2020
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Nov 23, 2020
- Event Description
Parit ‘Penguin’ Chiwarak, a student activist who has been advocating monarchy reform, has received a police summons for violating Section 112 of the Criminal Code and the Computer Crime Act. A list from a police source shows charges against 11 more activists are expected to follow.
Parit posted a photo of the summons which he received at his home on 24 November. The issue date is 23 November 2020 and the name of the plaintiff is Sudhep Silpa-ngam. The offence is not specified. The summons orders Parit to hear the charge at the Technology Crime Suppression Division on 1 December 2020.
As of 25 November, Parit has recieved 2 more summons from his speech at the protests on 19-20 September and 14 November. The former protest charge is to be heard at the police station and the latter one is the sedition law violation.
Parit’s Facebook post shows that he is not worried.
“To whoever is the mastermind in enforcing this Section. I want to tell you here that I am not in the least afraid.
“The ceiling has broken. There will be nothing able to cover us anymore.”
According to Matichon, Royal Thai Police Headquarters report that investigation officers in many areas have issued summonses to 12 leading figures of the current pro-democracy protesters for violating Section 112 of the Criminal Code:
Parit ‘Penguin’ Chiwarak Panussaya ‘Rung’ Sitthijirawattanakul Panupong ‘Mike’ Jadnok Anon Nampa Patsaravalee ‘Mind’ Tanakitvibulpon Chanin Wongsri Jutatip ‘Ua’ Sirikhan Piyarat ‘Toto’ Chongthep Tattep ‘Ford’ Ruangprapaikitseree Atthapol ‘Khru Yai’ Buapat Chukiat Saengwong Sombat Thongyoi
The reactivation of the lèse majesté law came after Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that every law would be used against the pro-democracy protesters after the protest in front of the Royal Thai Police HQ on 18 November.
According to the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, the lèse majesté law has not been brought to the court since 2018. Lèse majesté charges have been replaced with charges for sedition (Section 116) and under the Computer Crime Act. This comes after new procedures were introduced requiring the lèse majesté charges to receive prior vetting, unlike in the past where effectively anyone could file a complaint.
The lèse majesté law carries prison terms of 3-15 years for those found guilty of defaming, insulting, or threatening the King, the Queen, the Heir to the throne, or the Regent.
The charges have been brought as the protesters planned to protest again on 25 November at the Crown Property Bureau (CPB). The area around the CPB was later reinforced with razor wire and surrounding roads were blocked by shipping containers. Around 6,000 police officers were deployed to secure the area.
Despite a coup denial from Gen Narongpan Jitkaewthae, the Royal Thai Army Commander-in-Chief, there have been reports that military forces are being mobilized in a suspicious way in connection with the CPB protest.
On 24 November, Khaosod English livestream found people sitting around the perimeter of the CPB in private clothes but with military or police haircuts. They refused to be interviewed at all. At 22.00 on the same day, 4 military vehicles were spotted at Mahanakhon intersection, carrying people in private clothes and with police/military haircuts.
The protesters then announced a change of the protest site to the Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) main office at Ratchayothin. SCB's main stakeholder is King Vajiralongkorn. The stocks were transferred from the CPB, the organization that controlled royal assets on behalf of monarchy, to His Majesty’s personal property along with many other assets in 2018 due to the changes enacted in the Crown Property Act.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, Student
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Dec 7, 2020
- Country
- Thailand
- Initial Date
- Nov 20, 2020
- Event Description
A well-known music industry executive has filed a lese majeste complaint against Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul, a co-leader of the People’s Movement.
Nitipong Hornak, a prolific songwriter, founder and major shareholder of Grammy Entertainment, filed the complaint with the police Technology Crime Suppression Division on Friday afternoon, according to the Facebook page of the centre for legal aid for online bullying victims.
It was not known which incident Mr Nitipong cited in his accusation. But Ms Panusaya was the first person to publicly read out the 10-point manifesto of a Thammasat University group calling for reform of the monarchy at the university in April.
Mr Nitipong’s move came a day after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha vowed to use all laws to maintain order amid almost daily protests by pro-democracy activists.
The prime minister admitted a day later that Section 112 of the Criminal Code would be no exception. In June, he had said that His Majesty the King had shown mercy and told him not to use the harsh law against people.
Each count of a lese majeste charge — insults, threats or defamation of leading royals — carries a term of 3-15 years in jail.
Other laws have been used in its place over the past few years. They are the Computer Crimes Act, which carries penalties from 5-10 years and/or fines from 20,000 to 100,000 baht, and the national security law (Section 116 of the Criminal Code) for charges such as sedition, which carries jail terms up to seven years.
Critics of Section 112 say it is disproportionate to the alleged crime, and that courts tend to broadly interpret the law. As well, since it carries a harsh penalty, the court traditionally does not allow bail for suspects.
Ms Panusaya and several of her colleagues in the youth-led movement spent several days in jail last month in connection with other charges related to their campaign, before being released on bail.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist, Student, WHRD
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Non-state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Date added
- Dec 7, 2020
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Nov 26, 2020
- Event Description
On 26 November 2020, the Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) Court in Mumbai, rejected human rights defender Stan Swamy’s request for a straw, a sipper bottle and winter clothing. The human rights defender suffers from Parkinson's and therefore is unable to hold a cup and drink from it, hence the need for a straw and sipper bottle. During the hearing, the NIA told the special court that they did not have the requested items to give the defender and asked the court for 20 days to respond to the defender’s request. The judge directed a medical officer to revert back to the requirement of the requested items for the 83 year old human rights defender on 5 December 2020.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Administrative Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to health
- HRD
- Minority rights defender
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Dec 7, 2020
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Nov 26, 2020
- Event Description
At 2 pm on November 26, political police officer Guo (last name) asked human rights activist Li Qiaochu to meet him in Beijing Haidian District. Instead of engaging in a typical, approximately hour-long session complying with a police officer’s request to meet to address a concern, officials detained Ms. Li overnight. The next day, November 27, however, authorities conditionally released Ms. Li to her parents.
For Ms. Li’s release and for her to avoid imprisonment at that time, police told her parents that they had to sign a guarantee Ms. Li would no longer communicate on the internet. Otherwise, authorities warned, they would imprison her. In addition, upon Ms. Li’s release, police confiscated her computer and cell phone.
Earlier this year, on February 2, police detained human rights defender Xu Zhiyong, On February 16, officials also detained 29-year-old Ms. Li, Mr. Xu’s girlfriend, one of the initiators of the New Citizens’ Movement. Authorities continued to detain Mr. Xu but released Ms. Li on bail soon after her arrest.
After her release, Ms. Li appealed for Mr. Xu‘s release. Her efforts, however, merited ongoing threats of detainment and obligatory meetings with Gua and other officers. In fall/winter 2017, Ms. Li, also a researcher of labor issues, had accompanied volunteers to gather information and share data with heavily affected communities following an incident where the “low-end population” of migrant workers in the Beijing district had been driven out. There, the group assisted workers who had lost their jobs and housing.
In 2018, Ms. Li actively participated in the “MeToo” movement against gender violence, supporting the movement on platforms such as Twitter. She often stood in solidarity with various prisoners of conscience and their families.
In June 2019, doctors diagnosed Ms. Li with depression and advised her that she needed long-term medication. Nevertheless, she continued to participate in activities as usual.
From the start of December 2019, authorities stationed public safety personnel at her house. They have also surveilled her routes to and from work.
In the past, due to Ms. Li’s human rights activism, police regularly harassed her, Now, also due to Ms. Li’s past human rights activism, police continue to monitor her, violating her privacy and civil rights.
Now, in addition to police harassing and monitoring Ms. Li and violating her rights, she lives with the threat officials will imprison her if she communicates online.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Censorship, Intimidation and Threats, Surveillance
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Labour rights defender, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Dec 7, 2020
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Nov 29, 2020
- Event Description
Sunday, November 30, Justice Bureau authorities phoned Beijing Lawyer Wang Yu informing her that the Chinese Government had revoked her license to practice law. Lawyer Wang had defended human rights activist Yu Wensheng, arrested in January 2018, currently imprisoned in Jiangsu, China. Since authorities sieged Mr. Yu, they have not only denied his wife’s visitation rights, they have revoked his rights to communicate with others, and have turned down requests for him to obtain dental treatment. Lawyer Wang has provided support and stood by Ms. Xu Yan, Mr. Yu’s wife, who has continued to fight for her husband’s rights during his detention.
On November 29, the day authorities revoked Lawyer Wang’s license, she and her husband, Lawyer Bao Longjun, joined with several other human rights lawyers, including Xie Yanyi, Wen Donghai, and Cheng Hai, to host a modest event to advocate for Mr. Yu. The support group petitioned the High People’s Court of Jiangsu to open trials on Mr. Yu’s case and allow his wife to visit him in prison.
As the first human rights lawyer arrested in the "709 incident,"* and because Lawyer Wang has helped Ms. Xu fight for Mr. Yu's rights, as well as helped many others defend their rights, she contravened the Chinese Communist Party CCP authorities’ taboo.
China typically resorts to implementing a series of suppressions toward human rights activists for example, lawyers face deliberate obstacles when representing human rights cases. In severe situations, they face the risk of police detaining them. If detained, the lawyer’s legal counsel also faces the risk of detainment for representing dissenting cases. Lawyer Wang’s case depicts this scenario.
In 2015, China’s President Xi Jinping initiated an action plan to weaken nascent human rights movements. CCP authorities apprehended Lawyer Wang in accordance with this plan. Authorities also arrested Lawyer Li Yuhan, Wang’s lawyer, currently serving her sentence in Liaoning, Shengyang. While defending Lawyer Li, Li Boguang, the lawyer who represented her, suddenly died in Jiangsu, Nanjing.
During the process of defending others, the four related lawyers suffered a series of persecutions. In January of 2016, authorities arrested Lawyer Wang, charging her for state subversion. After her imprisonment at a detention center in Tianjin, authorities released Lawyer Wang in July 2016.
As a lawyer’s livelihood depends on practicing law, revoking his or her license to practice law significantly impacts the survival of the individuals’ and his or her families’ survival. The CCP's current practice of revoking licenses of lawyers who defend human rights blatantly deprives them of their right to survive. CCP authorities also revoked the license to practice law for Lawyer Wang’s husband for representing human rights cases.
Human rights lawyer Chen Jiangang, exiled to America, said: “Both the husband and wife, have been deprived of their way out. Xi Jinping is the number one murderer, the chief CCP oppressor of human rights. Xi Jinping’s era does not allow for real lawyers.”
Lawyer Wang did not violate any laws or regulations during her time practicing law. Governing judicial organs forcibly revoked her license to practice law, against her own will. According to article 49 of “Lawyers’ Law of the People’s Republic of China,” the provincial judicial administration can revoke the lawyer’s license only if the circumstances of violation were severe.
For the first trial of a person accused of a crime, due process should define the Justice Bureau’s legitimacy and rationality. Only after confirmation can officials instruct the second deviation. Therefore, the punitive measures authorities imposed on Lawyer Wang violated her constitutional and legal rights, a serious crime.
The CCP perceives the human rights movement as a threat to its regime. Therefore, those like Lawyer Wang, who help wrongly accused and imprisoned rights defenders, as well as their defense lawyers, may also be wrongfully imprisoned. The authorities’ approach aims to put human rights activists in a situation where they’re isolated and without aid. Their ultimate goal? To shake the will of human rights workers.
In her work to help and defend human rights activists, as Lawyer Wang did not violate the law, the CCP’s punishment, revoking her license to practice law lacked justification. *Denotes the large-scale unified arrest in July of 2015 when CCP officials sieged more than 300 Chinese human rights defenders.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Administrative Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to work
- HRD
- Lawyer, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Dec 7, 2020
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Nov 23, 2020
- Event Description
Prosecutors claimed Ressa's tweeting of a Philstar.com story published in 2002 was malicious. The news group, saying it was threatened with legal action, took down the article the same day Ressa tweeted the screenshot.
This is uncharted territory for the new Philippine cybercrime law. Ressa filed a motion to quash on Wednesday, December 2, citing a Supreme Court decision that says aiding and abetting a cyber crime is not a crime in itself. In this context, it refers to tweeting screenshots of a supposedly libelous article.
The complaint was filed in February 2020 in Makati by businessman Wilfredo Keng, whose earlier suit in Manila got Ressa and former researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr convicted of cyber libel in June this year. The conviction is on appeal at the Court of Appeals (CA).
In charging Ressa before a Makati court on November 23, Makati prosecutors said that the journalist's tweeting of screenshots was not a mere act of sharing – an act, which the Supreme Court ruled, could not be described as criminal because it constitutes knee-jerk internet reaction.
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"Obviously, the foregoing cannot be considered a knee-jerk reaction on the part of respondent, hence, she should be liable for the consequences of her Twitter post," said the resolution signed by Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Mark Anthony Nuguit, and approved by Senior Assistant City Prosecutors Aris Saldua-Manguera and Roberto Lao.
The motion to quash prepared by Ressa's lawyer Ted Te of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), said: "(Ressa) is not the author of the defamatory PhilStar.com article, she cannot be made liable for sharing or RT’ing the content under Section 4(c)(4) (online libel)."
Ressa posted bail on Friday, November 27, before Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 147 Judge Maria Amifaith S. Fider-Reyes, who issued the arrest warrant that same day and set bail at P24,000. This is Ressa's 9th arrest warrant for what she claims are "politically motivated charges" meant to intimidate her. PhilStar takes down its story
The case stemmed from a tweet that Ressa posted on February 16, 2019, three days after the journalist was arrested for the Manila case.
Ressa tweeted screenshots of an August 12, 2002 Philstar.com article linking Keng to an alleged murder. On the same day in February 2019, Philstar.com issued a statement that said it had removed the 2002 news story from its site because, according to the news organization, Keng had raised "the possibility of legal action" against the company.
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Ressa had argued to prosecutors that when the Supreme Court upheld the Cybercrime Law, it declared unconstitutional the provision that punishes the aiding and abetting of a cybercrime which, in this context, means sharing a supposedly libelous post.
"Except for the original author of the assailed statement, the rest (those who pressed Like, Comment and Share) are essentially knee-jerk sentiments of readers who may think little or haphazardly of their response to the original posting," the Supreme Court had said.
"Its vagueness raises apprehension on the part of internet users because of its obvious chilling effect on the freedom of expression, especially since the crime of aiding or abetting ensnares all the actors in the cyberspace front in a fuzzy way," the Supreme Court added.
Posting of screenshots of deleted articles and posts have been a habit of gutsy Filipino social media users as a way of protesting revisionism, for example. Not a mere share
In Ressa's case, Makati prosecutors said the journalist's posting of the screenshot "involved a series of physical acts and mental or decision-making processes," citing as example the effort to search for the deleted article, screenshot it, post it on Twitter and make a caption.
"(The Supreme Court) opined that online libel (is not applicable) to others who merely pressed like, comment and share because these are essentially knee-jerk sentiments of readers who may think little or haphazardly of their response to the original posting. In this instant complaint, respondent did not merely press the share button," said the prosecutors.
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Ressa's motion to quash argued that the only content that the journalist should be accountable for is the accompanying caption of the screenshots, which was: “Here’s the 2002 article on the ‘private businessman’ who filed the cyberlibel case, which was thrown out by the NBI then revived by the DOJ. #HoldTheLine”
"By any reasonable and unbiased reading, the sentence is not defamatory—read singly, none of the words are; read together, the sentence is not. The sentence is correct, true, and factual," said the motion.
Before filing the complaint, Keng demanded in November 2019 that Ressa delete the tweet and make a public apology "otherwise we shall be constrained to file a complaint for cyber libel against you."
Ressa had said she will never delete the tweet, reasoning, "Imagine if I said, 'Well, this a really, really small thing and maybe I'll just step back just a little bit,' and then I step back a thousand times and a million times, then I've just lost all my rights."
Ressa faces 7 other charges before the Court of Tax Appeals and the Pasig City Regional Trial Court, stemming from the mother case over the company's Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDRs), which the Court of Appeals (CA) has ruled to be already cured.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Enactment of repressive legislation and policies, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Active
- Related Events
- Philippines: Justice department indicts Maria Ressa and former Rappler reporter for cyberlibel, Philippines: Maria Ressa and former Rappler reporter found guilty of cyberlibel (Update)
- Date added
- Dec 7, 2020
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Nov 26, 2020
- Event Description
On 26 November 2020, the Linyi Municipal Public Security Bureau in Shandong province once again rejected the request of the lawyer of human rights defender Ding Jiaxi to meet his client. The Public Security Bureau said that, as Ding Jiaxi is facing national security charges, allowing him access to legal counsel would "impede the investigation" or result in the "leaking of State secrets".
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Denial Fair Trial, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Right to fair trial
- HRD
- Pro-democracy activist
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Related Events
- China: eight pro-democracy defenders interrogated, detained for joining a liberal meeting, China: pro-democracy defender investigated, put under de facto house arrest (Update)
- Date added
- Dec 7, 2020
- Country
- China
- Initial Date
- Dec 2, 2020
- Event Description
Fears are growing over the health and well-being of rights lawyer Chang Weiping, who is currently in detention on suspicion of "incitement to subvert state power" in the northern Chinese province of Shaanxi, his family says after being allowed to visit him.
Shaanxi authorities allowed the Nov. 25 meeting after Chang's family and lawyers lodged official complaints about his incommunicado detention under "residential surveillance at a designated location (RSDL)" following his description of his torture during an earlier period in detention.
Chang's visit with father Chang Shuanming took place at a police station in Shaanxi's Baoji city, a source close to the family told RFA on Wednesday.
During the 10-minute visit, Chang appeared significantly thinner than before, and spoke slowly, the source said. He was also concerned that his wife might give interviews.
"From his father's description, he was exhausted, ... his eyes were red, and he spoke as if he was reciting something by heart," the source said. "His reactions were also slow, suggesting that he has probably been tortured."
There were also signs that the second detention was taking a psychological toll. As his father left, Chang shouted out to him, saying he no longer wished to live, the source said.
"His father said that when they came to say goodbye, Chang shouted out with all his strength that he didn't want to live any more," the source said.
Family threatened by police
Baoji police had pursued Chang's wife all the way to her place of work in the southern city of Shenzhen to put pressure on her not to speak out about his case, the source said.
"His father is a veteran member of the [ruling Chinese Communist] Party, and [Chang's] wife works in Shenzhen," the source said. "They even went to Shenzhen to find his wife and her employer, to threaten her and stop her speaking up on behalf of her husband."
"They have done everything in their power to threaten the family, making it harder for them to talk to the outside world about their grievances," he said, adding that the visit was also likely allowed in a bid to limit negative publicity.
Sources said two lawyers previously hired to represent Chang have now dropped the case under intense police pressure.
Repeated calls to Chang Shuanming's cell phone rang unanswered on Wednesday.
Tortured in detention
Qi An, a researcher with the London-based rights group Amnesty International, said Chang had already made a video describing his torture at the hands of the authorities during an earlier 10-day period of RSDL in January 2020.
"In the video, he mentions that he was put in a tiger chair," Qi said. "Human rights experts including the United Nations have said that RSDL in itself is a violation of human rights."
"Suspects in RSDL aren't allowed to see family or a lawyer, making it hard to verify whether someone has been tortured," Qi said.
The aim of the torture appears to be to extract a "confession" and guilty plea from suspects, Qi said.
"Many people say after they are released from RSDL that the authorities wanted them to plead guilty or provide some information," Qi said. "Of course, we don't know what information the authorities may want from Chang Weiping, but there is an operation to crack down on any of the rights activists or lawyers who took part in the Xiamen gathering."
Chang was taken away from his home by police in Baoji city in China's northern province of Shaanxi, on Oct. 22, on suspicion of "incitement to subvert state power."
The arrest came six days after he posted a video on YouTube sharing details of his torture.
Chang's January detention came after rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi and activists Zhang Zhongshun and Dai Zhenya were detained following a meeting with New Citizens' Movement founder Xu Zhiyong, who was himself later detained after publishing an open letter calling on CCP general secretary Xi Jinping to step down.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Intimidation and Threats
- Rights Concerned
- Online, Right to healthy and safe environment
- HRD
- Family of HRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Related Events
- China: prominent lawyer arrested, held incommunicado
- Date added
- Dec 7, 2020
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Nov 27, 2020
- Event Description
Rakesh Singh Nirbhek, a reporter working for Rashtriya waroop newspaper and his friend Pintu Sahu were assaulted and suffered fatal burn wounds when his house set on fire by three assailants in the journalist’s house in Kalwari village. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Indian affiliates the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) and National Union of Journalists (NUJ-I) condemn this heinous murder and urge the authorities to hold its perpetrators accountable.
On November 27, Singh’s house was burnt down, causing serious burn injuries to him and his friend Pintu Sahu, who died on the spot , while Singh died hours later at King George's Medical University’s Trauma.
Minutes before dying, the journalist said the attack was due to his reporting on corruption by the Kalwari village head Sushila Devi and her son. “This is the price for reporting the truth,” he said in a video recorded by the police at the hospital.
The Balrampur police arrested the son of the village head and two other suspects who were allegedly involved in the crime. They all confessed to the crime and were sent to jail on December 1.
Singh’s reported on the alleged corrupt practices of the village major Sushila Devi over the installation of solar panels and the construction of roads and sewage facilities.
Singh is the second journalist murdered because of his reporting in November alone. Earlier, G. Moses, a reporter for Tamilian TV, was murdered in a western suburb of Kundrathru, following his coverage of illegal land grabbing. Impunity for crimes against journalists in India is rampant.
The IJU president Geetartha Pathak said: “The IJU expresses serious concerns over this murder and frequent attacks, arrests and other forms of media right’s violations in Uttar Pradesh. The IJU urges for exemplary punishment to the murderers of Rakesh Singh Nirbheek.”
The NUJ-I President Ras Bihari said: “We strongly condemn the gruesome murder of journalist Singh, appeal the state government to set up a high-level judicial commission to probe the incident and punish those behind the murder.”
The IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: “The horrible murder of Rakesh Singh for his reporting exposes the critical situation of journalists in India. The IFJ urges the Indian authorities to end impunity for crimes against media workers and punish those responsible for this crime regardless of their political affiliation.”
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Death, Killing, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Right to life
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Government
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Dec 7, 2020
- Country
- Philippines
- Initial Date
- Dec 2, 2020
- Event Description
Peasant organizations and Anakpawis Partylist denounced the arrest of Amanda Echanis and her one-month old son.
Amanda is the daughter of extrajudicially killed Randall “Ka Randy’ Echanis. She was arrested early morning of December 2, Tuesday, in Baggao, Cagayan.
It was 3:30 a.m. of December 2 when combined forces of police and military raided the house of Isabelo Adviento of Danggayan Dagiti Mannalo ti Cagayan Valley, regional chapter of peasant organization Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, without search warrant. The raiding team showed a search warrant one hour later.
Amanda’s house is just three houses away from Adviento’s and was also raided. She was then arrested together with her one-month old newborn, Randall Emmanuel. She was charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
Former Anakpawis Partylist Representative Ariel Casilao condemned what he called as planting of evidence against activist, adding that this not at all new and has been a practice by state forces in an attempt to silence dissent.
Adviento was not at home at the time of the raid. His family members were reportedly ordered to go out of the house during the duration of the search.
The police reportedly found an M16 assault rifle, 1 long plastic magazine for M16 rifle, 1 long steel magazine for M16 Rifle, 6 pieces live ammunition for M16 Rifle, 13 pieces live ammunition for M16 rifle, 1 live ammo for M16 rifle.
“She is with her one-month old newborn. Why would she keep high-powered arms and ammunition that everyone would know would be dangerous to herself and her baby,” Casilao said.
Casilao likened Amanda’s case to those of Reina Mae Nasino and Cora Agovida from Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) – Metro Manila and Gabriela respectively.
Casilao said that Echanis, who is a member of Amihan – Cagayan, “is active in campaign for the welfare of small farmers, especially peasant women.”
Adviento, meanwhile, has been active in promoting human rights in the region and handles farmers’ concerns regarding land rights in their community. Of late, he has been busy helping fellow farmers who have been affected by the massive flooding caused by typhoon Ulysses.
“Before the raid, we have been working extra hours to give victims of typhoon here in our province necessary aid,” Adviento said.
It was only late morning that day of the raid when he knew his house was raided, and his family members including his small children kicked out of the house.
His wife said that when she tried to go inside their house to get hot water, she saw unfamiliar plastic bags in their living room. Adviento believes it contains the evidence used against at him.
“It is the very place where my children would play,” he lamented.
Despite the trumped-up charges, Adviento said that he and his colleagues will continue to “serve the people.”
- Impact of Event
- 3
- Gender of HRD
- Man, Woman
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention, Raid
- Rights Concerned
- Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Community-based HRD, Family of HRD, WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Armed forces/ Military, Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Dec 7, 2020
- Country
- Pakistan
- Initial Date
- Nov 26, 2020
- Event Description
Activist Ammar Ali Jan on Friday narrowly escaped arrest from Lahore's Charing Cross, where he was attending a student protest.
The activist had left the protest venue along with his friends in a car which was followed by a police van. Jan's vehicle was stopped by law enforcement officials at Gulberg Main Boulevard, from where he was taken to a police check post.
Following negotiations with policemen, Jan and his friends were allowed to leave with the assurance that they would appear before the station house officer of the Civil Lines police station within two hours.
In a statement to Dawn, however, Jan said that his lawyer would appear on his behalf and the activist will approach the court for pre-arrest bail on Monday.
Jan's arrest orders were issued by the Lahore deputy commissioner on Thursday under Section 3 (power to arrest and detain suspected persons) of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance. According to the order, Jan was a "potential danger to public peace, law and order situation" and must be detained "in order to keep the law and order situation in the city". Under the charge, the activist would remain under arrest for 30 days.
"There is credible information that [Jan], along with his accomplices, will create law and order situation and cause harassment among the general public," the order read. Jan was the only person whose arrest orders were issued.
The Lahore-based academic was attending a protest, which was being held to highlight the issues being faced by students in Pakistan. Every year, students and activists come together to arrange a Student Solidarity March across the country, however, this year a protest was held due to Covid-19.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- Enactment of repressive legislation and policies, Judicial Harassment
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Offline, Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Academic
- Perpetrator-State
- Government, Police
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Date added
- Dec 7, 2020
- Country
- India
- Initial Date
- Nov 25, 2020
- Event Description
Hundreds of farmers from Punjab and Haryana marched towards Delhi with tractor-trailers on Wednesday to protest against the Centre’s agriculture-related laws, prompting the Haryana Government to deploy their police force in large numbers and invoke Section 144 of the CrPC to prevent assembly of protesters.
Haryana's government under Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had ordered borders between Punjab and Haryana to be closed in an attempt to force the protesters back---a development that farmers criticised later as an attempt to silence them.
In Haryana's Kurukshetra, farmers tore down police barricades near Shahabad and were heading towards Pipli. Haryana Police used water cannons to unsuccessfully scatter the crowd. In
Karnal, police put up a check point at Oasis Tourist Complex on the National Highway 44. Protesters stopped to set up camp near Karnal's Samanabahu village for the night. They will resume their march to Delhi on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the protest march led to traffic jams on the NH-44, catching out several commuters, including wedding parties with grooms. Harried commuters now accuse authorities of not diverting traffic in advance.
"Today is my wedding and we left for Delhi from Ludhiana at 11 am, and we had to reach in Delhi before 8pm and now we are here in Karnal at 8.30pm. There’s still no clarity of how long this will take to clear,” a groom stuck in the traffic jam said.
Also, the police had taken nearly 100 farmer leaders from the state into "preventive custody".
As per the police estimates, around 2,00,000 farmers from Punjab are set to leave for Delhi as part of their 'Delhi Chalo' agitation from November 26.
Farmer body Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) President Balbir Singh Rajewal said Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has got sealed the interstate borders for Punjab farmers to prove that "Punjab is not part of India".
"We will peacefully block the routes to Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir. Will start dharna on the roads," he tweeted.
Rajewal questioned Khattar for refusing to give passage to the farmers to go to the national capital.
At a press interaction in Rohtak, Inderjit Singh, a senior leader of All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), condemned the sealing of the borders and demanded an anser from Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala for the police action against farmers.
"Dushyant claims himself to be a big well wisher of the farmers but why he is keeping mum when the farmers are being suppressed by the police at the instance of his government,” he said.
Farmers affiliated to 33 organisations are part of the United Farmers Front, an all-India body of over 470 farmer unions that will participate in the indefinite protest in the national capital from November 26.
The protesting farmers have threatened to block all roads to Delhi if they were denied permission to travel towards Delhi.
The Delhi Police asked the farmers not to enter Delhi as they don't have permission to protest in the city.
Haryana Police too have issued a travel advisory, asking commuters to avoid certain national highways along the state border with Punjab and Delhi for three days, starting Wednesday, in the wake of the protest.
Road blockades have been put at several places along the state border as per Chief Minister Khattar's directive to ensure "law and order", the police said.
A state police spokesperson told IANS that elaborate arrangements have been made by the civil and police administration.
The primary objective of these arrangements is to maintain proper law and order to prevent any kind of violence, facilitate functioning of traffic and public transport systems and to ensure public peace and order.
The spokesperson said a large number of protesters are likely to enter Haryana from Punjab through various border entry points for their onward journey towards Delhi.
The main focus points of the protestors originating from within Haryana will be the four major national highways leading towards Delhi, i.e., Ambala to Delhi, Hisar to Delhi, Rewari to Delhi and Palwal to Delhi.
A specific call has been given by protesting organisations for congregation at Shambhu border near Ambala city, Mundhal Chowk in Bhiwani district, Anaj Mandi in Gharaunda town in Karnal district, Tikri border in Bahadurgarh town in Jhajjar district, and the Rajiv Gandhi Education City in Rai in Sonipat district.
The spokesperson said that to ensure appropriate law and order arrangement, it is likely that the traffic diversion or roadblocks may be put up by the police on November 25, 26 and 27.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday welcomed the Centre's decision to take forward the talks with various farmer organisation on the farm laws issue in Delhi on December 3.
He said the forthcoming talks would pave the way for early redressal of the concerns of the farmers on the Central agricultural laws.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Ekta Dakonda) President Buta Singh Burjgill said the 'langar' (free meal service) will go on until the Central government takes back the laws.
"It will be a historic protest in Delhi amid the presence of two lakh farmers. We won't go back from our protest even half an inch." Farmers protesting against the laws have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the 'mercy' of big corporate entities.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Other (e.g. undefined, organisation, community)
- Violation
- Restrictions on Movement, Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of assembly, Freedom of movement, Offline, Right to healthy and safe environment, Right to Protest
- HRD
- Community-based HRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Source